Friendship Is Eternal
by Storysmith112358
Summary: Ash, Iris and Cilan find themselves pulled away from their journey at the request of one of their old friends. This starts them on a quest that brings back many old faces, a few new ones, and a challenge that Ash must overcome. What is it? Read on!
1. Chapter 1  Old Memories

**Friendship is Eternal**

**A/N: **Ash, Iris and Cilan find themselves pulled away from their journey at the request of one of their old friends. This starts them on a quest that brings back many old faces, a few new ones, and a challenge that Ash must overcome. Exactly what challenge is this? Well, you're just going to have to read to find out!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything Pokémon related whatsoever.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1: Old Memories<strong>

It had been a long day, and the sun was halfway out of sight under the horizon. On the outskirts of Nimbasa City, three weary travellers rested around a foldable table, enjoying their last meal for the day.

A small, yellow mouse-like creature with black stripes, long, black-tipped ears, and a lightning-bolt tail scampered around the feet of his partner and trainer: a young man wearing a short-sleeved, blue and white jacket with black stripes and a bright yellow zip, dark brown cargo pants, red and black sneakers, fingerless black gloves with red cuffs, and a red and white baseball cap with a blue Poké-ball insignia set on messy black hair. In his palm sat a metal case, with eight indentations set in blue felt, four of which were occupied with a set of diversely shaped badges, which glinted under the light of the setting sun.

'Nice work, Ash; that's badge number four,' said the girl sitting across from him. She was a young dark-skinned girl, with a white, long-sleeved tunic with pink hemming, a pink sash around her waist, white leggings, pink and white sneakers, and a huge mass of inky black hair stretching above her head and almost down to her knees, tied into two pigtails above her head and a small ponytail below. Poking out of a tuft of hair above her shoulder was a small green lizard-like creature with two tusks on either side of its mouth and a black crest on top.

'Yeah,' responded Ash, closing his badge case and leaning back to remember his intense battle with the Gym Leader, Elesa, 'I'm halfway to the Unova League now! I can't wait for the next gym battle!'

Iris shook her head. 'Ever rash, Ash,' she sniffed. 'Can't you just take a break for a while?'

'That's true, Ash,' said the third member of their group, Cilan, a tall, green-haired young man, older than the other two, who was always immaculately dressed in black dress pants, a long-sleeved white shirt, brown shoes, black waistcoat, and green bow-tie. At the moment, he was busy packing away his cooking utensils. 'A great recipe still needs time to simmer and form, before it can become truly delectable to the senses.'

'I've taken my break when I had my dinner,' Ash said. 'I'm ready to get back on the road again!'

'Sorry Ash,' replied Cilan, 'It's too late to head off now. If we left, we'd never reach the next town before nightfall.'

'But if you really want to hurry,' Iris said, standing up. 'You can clean up!' she said smartly, sliding her empty plate towards Ash.

'What?' moaned Ash. 'Why me?'

'Think about it this way,' Iris said, 'the faster you clean up, the faster we can go to bed, and the sooner we can leave the next morning!'

'_Axew-xew!_' agreed the green lizard, poking its head out of her hair.

Ash frowned, thinking about it, then scooped up all the dishes on the table and turned towards the nearby stream. 'Come on, Pikachu,' he said. 'We've got dishes to wash.'

'_Pika!_' responded the yellow mouse, hopping up onto his shoulder as the two of them disappeared past the bushes.

Iris stared after them and shook her head. _Sometimes I wonder how he made it this far, with an attitude like that._

That evening, after a long, tiring spell of washing dishes, cutlery and Pokémon plates, Ash rested under a tree with Pikachu perched on his lap. They were flipping through something that looked like a photo album.

'_Pika! Pi-pi-pikachu!'_ piped up Pikachu, pointing to one of the photos.

'Yeah,' said Ash, turning to one of the pictures, depicting the moonlit surface of a lake, as stars twinkled both from the sky and from the glimmering surface of the water, taken from a lavish balcony, 'it was the view from the Wallace Cup, over Lake Valor in Sinnoh. That was certainly a sweet view.'

'What was a sweet view?' asked Iris, swinging down and hanging upside down from a tree branch, Axew cradled in her arms, looking over Ash's shoulder. Upon seeing the photo, her face lit up. 'Wow, that's beautiful!' she exclaimed. 'Where was that taken?'

'This was the view from Lake Valor,' said Ash. 'I travelled there with my friends when I was in Sinnoh. It was for a Pokémon contest that me and my friends entered together.'

'You entered a Pokémon contest?' Iris repeated in amazement. 'I never thought you'd be the type.'

'Yeah, well, Wallace sort of talked me into it,' said Ash modestly.

'Wallace? As in that legendary grand master of the Elite Four and Top Contest Master?' said Iris in amazement. 'You met him?'

'It was a chance meeting,' Ash explained, 'and it didn't turn out too badly. I made it to the top 8 using my Buizel.'

'Wow, nice work Ash,' Cilan said, moving over to take a look. Just then, his eye fell on someone at the side of the photograph. 'Hmm? Who's this?' he asked, pointing to a person sitting at a small table in the corner of the photograph, looking over the lake. She was a young girl with shoulder-length navy-black hair, who was wearing a black tank top, white vest, short pink skirt, a pink scarf, a pair of gold barrettes, and a white cloth beanie with a pink Poké-ball insignia. Iris couldn't help noticing that she looked quite pretty.

'Huh? Oh, that's my old friend Dawn,' Ash said, 'she was my old travelling partner when I was going through Sinnoh. She's a Pokémon coordinator, and she actually won the Wallace Cup. She's going through Hoenn at the moment, hoping to become Top Coordinator.'

'Wow,' Iris said, hopping down from the tree to sit beside her friend. 'Sounds like you two were close.'

'We've had a lot of adventures together, both her and her Piplup, that's for sure,' Ash said, thinking about their journey through the Sinnoh Region. 'Her mother is actually a master coordinator, and she's hoping to become just like her.'

A small grin crossed Iris's face. 'Do you miss her?'

'Of course I do,' Ash said, 'I always think about how all my friends are doing. I wonder how many ribbons she's won by now…' Turning to look at Iris, his voice died off when he saw Iris's sly expression. 'Wh-what's with that look?' he mumbled, starting to sweat a little.

Iris cocked her head to one side. 'I mean, do you like her?'

'Of course,' Ash said. 'She wouldn't be my friend if I didn't.'

There was a thud as Iris collapsed anime-style. 'Ugh,' she groaned, 'you're really such a kid!'

'Hey come on, I'm almost 15 now!' Ash responded indignantly. 'How can you keep saying I'm a kid?'

'Because you don't understand what I'm trying to say!' answered Iris loudly.

'Okay, okay, you two, calm down!' cut in Cilan, moving in between the two of them. 'Anyway, Ash, you've never mentioned your other travelling friends before, how about you tell us about them?'

'Oh, sure,' Ash said, as Cilan sat on Ash's other side. 'How about I start from the very beginning?' Iris settled down as Ash turned to the very first photo. Sitting on the edge of a diving board was a redheaded young woman wearing a light yellow sleeveless tunic with a blue collar, yellow shorts, and cradling a small, bouncy blue mouse-like ball in her arms. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail that nestled on the side of her head. She seemed very happy to be there.

'This is my first companion, Misty, and her new baby Pokémon, Azurill. I met her right when I started my journey, and she's been with me through both the Kanto and Johto regions, and she's now the Gym Leader of the Cerulean City Gym, along with her three sisters. She's got a lot of spirit, and I hear she's doing really well at the gym.'

'Cool! She's a Gym Leader too?' asked Cilan, looking interestedly at her.

'Yeah,' answered Ash. 'And she's an expert trainer in water types, just like your brother Cress. She can get a little stubborn sometimes….' Ash's voice trailed off slightly as he remembered all the times the two of them had butted heads, 'but you'll never find a better person to watch your back than her.'

'So I'm not the first Gym Leader you've travelled with, am I?' asked the former Gym Leader of the Triathon City Gym.

'No you're not,' replied Ash. 'In fact, you're the third.'

'So who's the second?'

'This guy right here,' Ash turned to the next page to show them another photograph, this time showing a huge family. A happy couple stood in the photo, with a tall teenage boy between them. The mother had long auburn hair and bright eyes, while her husband was strong and sturdy, with a head of spiky grey hair and squinting eyes. Iris and Cilan could instantly see the resemblance between father and son, with his son instead having hair that was dark brown. He was dressed in a green t-shirt with an orange-and-brown vest, khaki cargo trousers and black sneakers. 9 kids ranging from preteen to toddler were perched on the ground at their feet, all sporting the same squinty eyes and spiky hair.

'His name is Brock,' Ash said, pointing to the teenage boy. 'He was once the gym leader of Pewter City, taking care of his many siblings, but once his father returned, he started travelling with me to become the world's greatest Pokémon Breeder. He's been with me the longest, travelling with me through Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh, heck, he's been everywhere with me except the Orange Archipelago. Right now he's training to become a Pokémon doctor.'

'Sounds like someone I'd like to meet,' said Cilan, looking at him interestedly.

'You would, you're both amazing chefs,' Ash agreed. 'He's very smart and he knows a lot about Pokémon, just like you, but he does have one problem…'

'What's that?' asked Iris.

Ash winced as the memories came back to him. 'He has a tendency to fall in love and hit on just about every pretty girl he meets, in particular Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny back in the other regions. Was it embarrassing? Most definitely. Successful? Pretty much never.'

Iris and Cilan winced in sympathy as they could imagine Brock trying to flirt with almost every young girl around, embarrassing his companions. 'Why would he do that?'

Ash shrugged. 'I've given up trying to understand the reason a long time ago. Normally it fell to Misty, Max, or even his own Croagunk to haul him away.' He chuckled at the image of Brock being dragged away by his three old companions.

'Max?' wondered Iris. 'Who's Max?'

'I'll come to him later,' said Ash. Turning the page to the next photograph, he showed his companions a teenage boy with jet-black hair, who was wearing a green t-shirt, a red headband, brown cargo pants and sneakers. In his hand was a sketchpad, and he was busy drawing a group of Pokémon who were playing in the background.

'That's Tracey. He's a Pokémon watcher, and he specializes in observing Pokémon in their natural habitat, and then drawing them in his sketchbook. He accompanied me through my journey in the Orange Archipelago and the Orange League.'

'Wow, he's good,' Iris said, looking at the sketch in the photograph.

'Yeah, he is,' Ash agreed. 'He knows a lot about Pokémon in their natural habitats, and now he's working as an assistant to Professor Oak.'

'Huh? You mean he's working for _the_ famous Professor Oak?' Cilan gaped, wide-eyed. 'The officiator of Pokémon development and care? A literal trailblazer in Pokémon connoisseurship?'

'Well, I don't know about the connoisseurship part, but yeah, he does help Professor Oak a lot in caring for the Pokémon on his ranch. He actually joined me because he heard I was close to the Professor, and wanted to meet him. He's a great companion, him and his Pokémon.'

'Cool!' Cilan said. 'He's a lucky guy. He and Brock both sound like someone I should talk to about the quality of Pokémon. Such people would give great insight into forming the perfect recipe of Pokémon care!'

'Oh, Cilan, can't you go one sentence without putting connoisseur-speech into it?' complained Iris.

'Of course not,' replied Cilan, twitching slightly. 'Every connoisseur has to perfect the art of artistic speech before the board even puts you into C-Class.' Iris shook her head in amazement.

'Moving right along,' Ash said, trying to get past the subject, he changed to the next photo in the album. This one showed a picturesque Pokémon Gym in the background, and a smiling family standing in front of it. The tall, sturdy man was wearing a striped brown jersey, dark blue trousers and had jet-black hair and an exceedingly friendly smile. His wife was very pretty, with long brown hair and a pretty smile. Their two children were smiling from in front of them, and in the foreground was a teenage girl, a couple of years younger than Ash, with hair just like her mother's, tied into two bunches on either side of her head, tied back with a red bandanna around her head, marked with a white Poké-ball image. She was wearing a red blouse with a black undershirt; black travelling shorts, a yellow pack on her left hip and white walking shoes. Beside her was her younger brother, who was about 8, with a green jersey, black shorts, long black hair, and thick spectacles.

'Hey, isn't that Norman, the Gym Leader of the Petalburg Gym in Hoenn?' Cilan inquired, peering at the man. 'You're friends with him?'

'Yeah, mainly because his kids were my travelling partners through Hoenn,' answered Ash. 'His daughter's name is May, and she's also a Pokémon Coordinator, just like Dawn. When I met her, she was just starting out her journey, just like Dawn was, and she and her brother Max decided to follow me through the Hoenn region as I competed in the Hoenn League, and then followed me through Kanto and the Battle Frontier as she competed in the Kanto grand festival. This picture was taken about two years ago, right after I beat Norman.'

'Where's she now?' asked Iris.

'She's going through Johto right now, collecting ribbons. I wouldn't be surprised if she's reached the Grand Festival by now.'

'What's she like?'

'She's very strong-willed. In fact, when I first met her, she didn't even like Pokémon at first, but she's become a very talented coordinator. She's funny, resourceful, likes her food, and…hey,' Ash said, turning suspiciously towards Iris. 'Why all the questions?'

'Oh, nothing,' Iris said innocently. 'Just wondering what a girl would have to be like to put up with you for two whole regions.'

'What's that supposed to mean?' Ash asked indignantly.

'Well, given your attitude, a girl would have to be really thick-skinned, or really like you to stand you for so long,' replied Iris cheekily.

'So then, Iris, why are you following me then?' Ash countered smartly.

Ash almost enjoyed the dull flush that appeared on Iris's dark face. She floundered for an answer for a moment, then mumbled, 'Never mind. Forget what I said.'

'So what's Max like?' asked Cilan, trying the change the subject.

'He's incredibly smart for his age,' Ash replied, 'he probably knew more about Pokémon starting out than any beginning trainer did. He's probably just started his journey already. And as I mentioned already, he's the one that did the Brock-dragging when we were in Hoenn.'

Cilan chuckled at the image. 'You've certainly got a lot of great friends,' he said, 'Any more?'

'Yeah, a couple more,' he said, turning to a new picture, showing two people out in the woods standing next to each other, waving happily to the camera. The girl on the left had a very perky smile, along with long brown hair tied into two pigtails, partially hidden under a large white hat with a pink bow. She was wearing a long-sleeved pink tunic with a white collar, a pair of short blue overalls, long white stockings and pink flat tops. Over her shoulder, she carried a beige bag with a pink Pokégear attached. Next to her was a young boy with a mop of curly black hair, a white long-sleeved shirt, a green tunic, blue jeans and brown shoes. On his back he wore a blue backpack with a blue Pokégear attached to the strap, and a pair of spectacles rested on his nose.

'Lyra and Khoury are from Johto, and they travelled with Dawn, Brock and myself for a short while through the Sinnoh region,' Ash said, pointing to the girl and boy in turn. 'They're best friends and they're both great trainers, and Khoury's actually training to become a Pokémon breeder, like Brock.'

'Wow, so that's who you could meet after 5 or so years of travelling,' Iris said. 'Do you have more travelling companions?'

'Not really. Well, after May and Max headed back to Hoenn after my Battle Frontier journey, Brock and I headed to the Sinnoh region with Brock where I met Dawn. After my travels through Sinnoh, I rested back in Pallet Town for a while, then I came here to Unova where I met you two.'

'You really get around a lot, don't you?' said Cilan.

'Yeah, I guess I do,' said Ash modestly, rubbing the back of his head. He and his friends continued flipping through the photo album for a while, looking at the pictures of his friends, mentors, rivals and other characters whom he met on his journey. It was when they were looking at a picture of their group with Bianca, Professor Juniper's blond, ditzy assistant that he gave a yawn, and realized how late it was. Closing the album, he stretched and picked up Pikachu.

'Well, looks like it's getting late. We'd better turn in if we want to make it to the next city.' He turned and headed to the spot where he left his backpack. Cilan and Iris watched him, and then turned to each other.

'Ash certainly has a lot of great friends,' Iris mused, 'I wonder if we'll meet them someday.'

'I'm sure we will,' replied Cilan, 'after all, they all seem to have a great friendship.'

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><p>Well, that was the first chapter! Hope you like it! I'll be posting the rest up soon, so please R&amp;R! And please, no flaming!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2  The Invitation

**Friendship is Eternal**

**A/N: **Ash, Iris and Cilan find themselves pulled away from their journey at the request of one of their old friends. This starts them on a quest that brings back many old faces, a few new ones, and a challenge that Ash must overcome. Exactly what challenge is this? Well, you're just going to have to read to find out!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything Pokémon related whatsoever.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2: An Invitation<strong>

The next morning, as the sun was just starting off on its journey over the sky, the group was already packed up and heading down the road again.

Cilan was already tapping on his C-Gear, his personal palm-top, scanning through a map. 'Alright, the next Pokémon Center to Driftveil City is just down this road. It's an inn-like affair, just a place where travellers can rest for a while.'

'Great!' Ash said, 'let's get a move on!' With that he charged down the road, Pikachu running along right beside him. Cilan and Iris looked at each other, sighed, and ran off after their friend.

With Ash's excitement to get down the road, the Pokémon Center was soon in clear view in only half an hour. This one was designed like a log cabin, showing its status as a traveller's Pokémon Centre and not a citygoer's Pokémon Centre. Ash walked through the doors, and as usual, the pink-haired, cheerful Nurse Joy stood behind the counter, a pink and white fairy-like Pokémon with large ears and wide blue eyes standing beside her.

'Well, good morning,' she said cheerfully. 'How can I help you?'

'_Audino!' _ piped up her Pokémon assistant.

'Nothing much, thanks,' Ash said politely, as his friends walked up behind him. 'We're just taking a rest here. But do you know if there's a videophone and Pokémon Transfer system here?'

'Why yes, it's right over there in the corner,' Nurse Joy said, pointing. As Cilan and Iris moved over to have a word with the nurse, Ash headed over to the system and booted it up. He silently thanked Bill, Lanette, and whoever else had a hand in creating the Pokémon transfer system; it made moving Pokémon that much easier. Dialing in a number, he waited for it to connect.

A few moments later, the screen lit up and Ash saw the smiling face of Professor Juniper. The leading professor in the Unova region, she was, so far, the only female leading professor of a region, alongside her colleagues Oak, Elm, Birch and Rowan. Her greying-brown hair was piled on top of her head, as usual, and her brown eyes were twinkling. 'Ash! Good to hear from you!' she said. 'I was wondering where you had gotten to.'

'I'm doing fine, professor,' Ash said. 'I just won my 4th badge at the Nimbasa Gym!' He opened his badge case to show her his newly acquired Bolt Badge.

'Great work, Ash.,' Juniper beamed. 'So exactly where are you?'

'I'm heading to Driftveil City for my fifth badge. Right now I think I'm on route 5.'

'Route 5? Well, you've made good progress in the space of a few months,' Juniper said. 'Well, I hope the rest of your journey goes well.'

'Yeah, me too,' Ash said. Pikachu squeaked in agreement.

'So is there anything else I can do for you?' asked Juniper.

'Yeah, I think I want to keep my Palpitoad for a while longer, so do you think you could send Scraggy back and take Swadloon?' He had swapped out the baby brawler Pokémon for the leaf-cloaked Grass-and-Bug type to use against Elesa, the Electric-type gym leader.

'No problem,' the professor said. She vanished from the screen for a minute, and then returned. 'Okay, Scraggy's in place. You can send Swadloon over now.'

Ash nodded. He placed the Poké-ball containing Swadloon in the reticle beside the computer, there was a flash of light, and the ball was sucked up into the machine in a flash of light. A few seconds later, there was another flash, and a second Poké-ball popped out.

'Welcome back, Scraggy,' Ash said, taking the Poké-ball from the reticle and hooking it back onto his belt. 'Thanks Professor.'

'No trouble, Ash,' said Juniper. 'Have a nice day!' There was a click as she hung up.

Ash turned around to see Iris and Cilan standing behind him. 'All done, Ash?' Iris asked.

'Yep,' responded Ash. 'Let's go!' With that, the three friends headed out the door.

* * *

><p>As Dr. Juniper hung up from her conversation with Ash, a small smile crossed her face. Turning back to her computer, she dialed in another number. A few seconds passed before her contact picked up.<p>

'Hello Doctor. How goes the search?'

'He just contacted me. He's on route 5 of the Unova region.'

'Excellent. I'll notify the extraction team immediately.'

'Perfect,' Dr. Juniper said with a smile. 'He'll never know what's in store for him. I'll be on the ship by 11 today. I should get there just in time.'

* * *

><p>Ash and company headed down the track, leaving the Pokémon Center behind. 'Man, it feels good to get on the road again,' Ash declared, stretching his arms,<p>

'Ash, I was wondering,' Iris asked, 'once you achieve your dream of becoming a Pokémon Master, exactly what do you plan to do after that?'

'Oh, that's easy. I want to continue exploring the world of Pokémon, meeting and capturing many new kinds and finding out everything I want to see,' Ash replied nonchalantly.

'So you want to be a traveller all your life?' Iris asked. 'Don't you think you might get tired of it?'

'Not a chance, Iris,' Ash replied. 'I love travelling!'

'But what about all your friends? Won't you miss them?'

Ash's happy demeanor seemed to dim a little. 'Of course I'll miss them, but as long as I never forget them, they'll still be my friends for good.'

'Do you think you'd ever go back and visit them?'

'Whenever I have the chance, Iris,' Ash answered. 'Whenever I have the chance. But as of now, I'm in a whole new region, battling my way to the Unova League. I can't visit them now.'

Suddenly, a shadow fell over the group, like a huge Pokémon was swooping over their heads. Ash, Iris, Cilan and Pikachu all looked upwards. 'What was that?' Cilan exclaimed.

Outlined in the sun were four huge silhouettes, as they flew in formation directly over their heads. Then, they all dove down to the ground and four huge pairs of feet landed on the ground in front of the group with huge thuds.

Ash stared at the four Pokémon in front of him. All of them were almost identical, four huge, orange-skinned dragons with leathery blue wings, long necks, sharp claws, and raging fires pluming at the tips of their long tails. There were subtle differences though. One wore a flaming armband, another had a blue neckerchief, the third wore a green bow on its head, and the last had a necklace with a black lump attached to it.

'Wow! Charizards!' exclaimed Ash.

'They're incredible!' exclaimed Iris, her eyes twinkling at the sight of the four Dragon-like Pokémon.

'But I'm sure that Charizards don't travel in groups,' Cilan mused, a bit confused. 'So what are these four doing here, and why did they stop us?'

'Probably because I told them!' came a voice from the third Charizard, the one wearing a green bow. Then, a girl poked her head out from behind the Charizard's wing. She had dark green hair tied up in a twist on her head, and she wore a red tunic with a high collar. 'Hi Ash, great to see you again!'

'Liza! Hey! It's great to see you too!' Ash said as he and Pikachu ran up to her. Liza jumped from her ride's back onto the ground to meet her friends.

'It took me a long time to find you,' Liza said. 'I've been flying around all day looking for you.'

Ash laughed sheepishly, rubbing his head. 'But what brings you to Unova? It's a long way from Johto, that's for sure.'

'Ash, who is this?' asked Iris as she and Cilan walked up.

'Oh, this is Liza,' Ash said. 'She's the owner of the Charicific Valley in the Johto Region. It's a sanctuary specifically for Charizards, for them to train and get better. In fact, my Charizard is getting stronger there right now.'

'You work with Charizards?' Iris asked, staring in wonder at the majestic Fire and Flying-types. 'Wow, that's so cool! I've always wanted to train with one.'

'_Axew!'_ chirped Axew, poking its head out of her hair to gaze at the four dragons towering over it.

'Oh, Liza, this is Iris, her Pokémon Axew, and Cilan,' Ash said, introducing his friends. 'They're travelling with me through the Unova Region at the moment.'

'Well can you put your journey on hold for a while?' asked Liza. 'I need your help with something.'

'Huh?' Ash said confused. 'You came all this way to ask me for help? Why me?'

'It's Charizard, Ash,' Liza reiterated, and Ash's face lit up with alarm. 'Yeah, your Charizard. He's been acting all moody lately and none of us can figure out why. When me or any of the other Charizards try to approach him, he blows fire and snaps at them. I figured that if anyone could figure out what's wrong, it would be his own trainer.'

'So you're bringing me to the Charicific Valley?' asked Ash. 'Well, if it's my friend that's in trouble I'll gladly put my journey on hold. When are we leaving?'

'Right now,' said Liza. 'Why do you think I brought four of these guys here?' Her four Charizard roared in agreement.

Ash looked over the group but did not see the familiar pink bow. 'Hey Liza, where's Charla? I thought she always goes with you,' he said, referring to Liza's own female Charizard.

'Oh, she's back at the Valley, looking after the other Charizards; because she's mine, she has more authority over the other Pokémon, and they know it. Besides, she's not suited for a journey this long.'

'And I take it these four are?' Ash said, looking at the four Charizard.

'Yeah Ash, these Charizard have been specially bred and trained for long-distance flying with passengers. This is Champ, Harlan, Riza and Zarden.' Liza introduced the four Charizard in turn, from left to right, and each one gave a roar in response.

'Well, what are we waiting for?' asked Ash, running to the Charizard with the blue scarf, Harlan. 'Let's go!' He clambered onto his back.

'Okay, come on!' Liza said, clambering onto the back of Riza, the female Charizard with the green bow around her head.

'Come on, Cilan,' Iris said, jumping up and landing on the back of Zarden. 'Don't you want to see the Charicific Valley? A place filled with nothing but fire dragons! I can't wait!'

'Sure,' Cilan said, moving towards Champ. 'I'm always willing to try a new flavor or experience. Although maybe not something this intense,' he murmured to himself under his breath.

* * *

><p>Soon, all four Charizard were winging their way over the ocean, the four trainers sitting on their backs. Their wings flapped strongly as they carried the trainers through the air.<p>

Axew was cradled in Iris's arms as her hair blew back in the wind, as she couldn't risk her precious Pokémon being blown away. Cilan was enjoying the view, while Ash rode alongside Liza with Pikachu perched on Harlan's head.

'So how long will it take to get there, Liza?' asked Ash.

'Oh, not too long,' said Liza. 'I left early this morning, so we should get back to the valley at about 1 in the afternoon.'

'Well I hope you'll have lunch waiting for us,' Ash responded, ''cause we'll be starving when we arrive!'

* * *

><p>I'll be posting the rest up soon, so please R&amp;R! And please, no flaming!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3 Faces of Evil

**Friendship is Eternal**

**A/N: **Ash, Iris and Cilan find themselves pulled away from their journey at the request of one of their old friends. This starts them on a quest that brings back many old faces, a few new ones, and a challenge that Ash must overcome. Exactly what challenge is this? Well, you're just going to have to read to find out!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything Pokémon related whatsoever.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3: Faces of Evil<strong>

Cilan watched the ocean go flying dizzily past his eyes as he looked over the side of the flying dragon. He wasn't used to this sort of high-speed flying having been working as a waiter for so long, but he thought he might enjoy it, seeing the Wingull and Pelipper flying through the air above him, and seeing the occasional Remoraid or Mantine leap out of the water below.

Iris was leaning back, enjoying the sun on her dark skin, as Axew leant over the side and gazed in wonder at the sparkling sea beneath it, occasionally crying out in amazement when it saw a sea Pokémon leap out of the water beneath them.

Pikachu was just enjoying the sights as it perched on its ride's head, while Ash chatted with Liza, riding side by side, catching up on old times.

'So aside from Charizard, how is the Charicific Valley anyhow?' Ash was asking.

'It's been good,' responded Liza. 'I've actually taken up breeding so I can learn how to properly breed and raise Charmanders. All the Charizards in the vally adore the little guys. I've actually got a few eggs that are incubating right now.'

'Cool,' said Ash with interest, 'I'd like to see them, after I help Charizard's problem.'

'Well, hold on to your Pikachu, Ash,' Liza said, seeing something on the horizon, 'cause we're almost there!'

Ash looked, but all he could see was a sparkling dot on the horizon. 'What do you mean?' he asked, 'I don't see anything.'

'Just wait for it,' Liza said. As they drew closer and closer to the sparkling dot, Ash, Iris and Cilan could all see that it was a huge cruise ship, gleaming like a treasure as it cut easily through the waves.

'Wow, it's amazing!' Iris said, Axew agreeing with her.

The Charizard drew closer and closer to the ship. Because they were coming in from the side, Ash could see the name written on the side of the ship in bold black letters: _The Spirit of Pokémon. _

'Oh, I know that ship!' Cilan said, 'The Spirit Of Pokémon is the only ship to travel between all 5 Pokémon regions. It is said that it can make the journey in the space of 2 days, with a supreme luxury cruise in the deal.'

'Nice!' said Ash, 'but why did you say we were stopping here, Liza?'

To Ash's surprise, when Liza looked over at him, her expression had turned solemn and sad. 'Ash, there's something I need to tell the three of you. I'm sorry for keeping this secret from you.'

'Huh?' Ash, Iris and Cilan looked questioningly at her, as the Charizard flew directly over the ship.

'Last week, a man came to the Charicific Valley. I don't remember his name, but he said he had bought the valley and was going to shut the center down. I pleaded with him to stop, but he said he only would if I would do something for him,' Liza said. 'I didn't want to do what he said, but the Charizard would have nowhere to go and I couldn't let them down.'

'That's just evil!' Iris exclaimed. 'How could someone even think of doing that?'

Liza didn't answer, only looked down to see that the four Pokémon were almost directly over the middle deck of the ship.

'Liza, what exactly did the man ask you to do?' asked Ash slowly.

Liza turned her head and sank down lower onto her mount's back, hugging its neck tightly. 'This,' she murmured, so quietly that Ash almost couldn't hear her. Then she yelled, 'NOW!'

Without warning, all four Charizard did a barrel roll in mid-air. Ash, Pikachu, Iris and Cilan were caught unawares and were flung off the Pokémons' backs. They plummeted wildly through the air towards the ship below, screaming bloody murder.

'Liza!' howled Ash as he and his friends hurtled towards the deck of the ship. Ash floundered through the air and managed to grab Pikachu. He protected his Pokémon with his body and braced for the very painful impact with the deck…

…and then the four of them fell right through a hole in the deck, onto what appeared to be a large air cushion.

The air was forced out of Ash's lungs as he landed hard on his back. He heard two similar thumps as Iris and Cilan landed beside him on the cushion. The last thing he saw was the four Charizard circling overhead in the blue sky before the hole closed up with a snap and they were plunged into darkness.

. .

Ash groaned, sitting up, 'Pikachu, Iris, Cilan, are you all okay?' The depths of the room were pitch black, and he couldn't see anything in front of his face.

'_Pika…_' moaned the mouse Pokémon from the safety of his arms.

'I'm alright,' said Iris, struggling to get off her back, 'but I can't see a thing.'

'Same here,' said Cilan, his voice slightly muffled by the cushion. There was a shuffling sound as he tried to get up.

'Liza,' muttered Ash, staring at where he thought was the ceiling. 'I'm sorry that you had to do that.' _But why did she lie to us? _he wondered. _She didn't have to tell us that story; she just had to tell us about that problem and I would've instantly helped…right? _

'Hey! Watch those fingers, Cilan!' came an indignant yell from beside him.

'_Axew-ax!_' cried out her partner.

'Sorry!' exclaimed Cilan, sounding rather flustered. 'I can't see anything!'

As soon as he said that, the room was instantly bathed in bright light, and Ash, looking where they were shouting from, could see that Cilan had accidentally put his hand on Iris's stomach as he was trying to get up. Cilan's face was red as he quickly retracted his hands.

'Well, now you can,' said Ash, 'but where are we?'

The three friends sat up and looked around. The first thing Ash realized was that they were in a huge ballroom, with the air cushion in the very center of the room, resting on the dance floor. Tables with white tablecloths and fancy chairs surrounded the dance floor, and at the far end of the room was a fancy cage with red curtains.

'What in the world?' muttered Cilan. 'What are we doing in a ballroom?'

'And for that matter, why did Liza bring us here?' wondered Iris.

'I believe we can answer those questions, Ms. Ryuden,' came a booming voice from the side of the room, coming from concealed speakers. The next moment, 4 huge screens lowered themselves from panels in the ceiling. The next moment, the screen on the far left flared to life, revealing a tall, powerful man with short, cropped brown hair in an orange business suit, sitting calmly at a desk and staring menacingly at the camera. The three of them involuntarily swallowed when they made eye contact; looking into his dark eyes felt like they were staring an Arbok in the face.

'Who are you?' Iris shouted at the man. 'How do you know my name?' Ash stepped forward and looked at his face carefully.

'Wait, I recognize you,' he said slowly, 'you're the head of Team Rocket!' The memory of a man talking to an imprisoned white cat-like Pokémon with amazing psychic powers floated to the top of his mind. 'Giovanni.'

The man smirked, leaning back in his chair, revealing the red "R" marked on his suit's breast pocket. 'So you recognize me, eh? Well good, because I know you, Ash Ketchum. I know how you've been a thorn in the side of Team Rocket for five long years, thwarting every plan we've developed.'

'What do you want from us?' Ash demanded.

'Oh, it's nothing much, just a spot of revenge,' Giovanni said, glaring at them, 'after you foiled every scheme of mine you and your pesky friends ran into. And I do believe my colleagues have something to say to about this as well.'

As he said this, the other three screens lit up, each revealing a new man staring at the camera as well. One had long dark red hair, a strong square jaw, eyes that looked like they were boring right into you, and wore a black-and-red outfit with a red mountain-like "M" stenciled on the breast. Another had jet-black hair tied back by a blue bandanna, a beard and mustache that gave him a pirate-like look, a menacing grin that made it even more so, and a black tunic with a chain around his neck and a bone-like "A" marked on the collar. The last had hair that was sheer platinum blond, almost white, styled as if he had a Saturn-like ring around his head, and was wearing a grey and white uniform with a gold "G" on the chest. All of them looked like they were in their early 40s.

Ash gasped when he saw their faces. 'Maxie! Archie!' he exclaimed. 'I thought Teams Magma and Aqua were gone for good after that Kyogre and Groudon incident! And you!' he turned to the last man with the white hair. 'You're from Team Galactic!'

'Indeed,' spoke the last man in a deep, stentorian, authoritative tone. 'You haven't met me, but you've certainly set my organization back after foiling my second-in-command Cyrus's plan for the new universe. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Phoebus, chief executive of Team Galactic.'

'You've got a lot of nerve capturing us, you jerks!' Iris shouted at the men. 'Let us go, now!'

'Now, now, temper, temper,' said Maxie in a tone that almost made the three shiver. 'After all, it's attitude like that that might lead to things getting…unpleasant for our guests.'

'Guests? What do you mean?' demanded Cilan.

'Oh, just a few friends of your friend that we've gathered for this momentous occasion,' said Giovanni. 'Perhaps you'd like to say hello?'

The four screens flickered for a moment and then changed to new scenes. When Ash saw them, his eyes widened and he gasped in horror.

Each screen depicted a few rooms that resembled a jail cell, and in each of the cells was one of Ash's old friends: Brock, Tracey, Misty, Dawn, May, Max, Lyra, Khoury, and Bianca. All of them looked miserable and their clothes were in a state of disarray, as if they'd been wearing them for a few days on end now.

Ash's face had turned crimson with fury as the four leaders reappeared, smirking. 'Let my friends go now!'

'Sorry, no can do,' replied Archie. 'After all, we need some way of keeping you in check. I mean, you wouldn't want anything to happen to your dear friends now, would you?'

'You let them go right now or I'll dismantle this ship to get to them!' Ash said, reaching for a Poké-ball. Suddenly, there was a whirring sound, and the Poké-ball flew right out of his hands, along with his entire knapsack. Iris and Cilan's Poké-balls in their bags shot into the air as well, all of them shooting through the hole in the ceiling they fell through, which had opened back up.

'Hey! The Pokémon!' Ash shouted, making a grab for his escaping bag but failing. He looked up to see what appeared to be a giant magnet hovering over the hole, their stolen items stuck firmly to it. A very familiar laughter came drifting down through the hole.

'Oh no!' Cilan exclaimed. 'Not you again!' Sure enough, standing over the hole were the very familiar trio of Jessie, James and Meowth, The long, red-haired woman, the purple-haired man and the talking Cat Scratch Pokémon looked down at the three trainers, laughing menacingly.

'Well, twerp, looks like we've finally got you right where we want you: firmly in our grasp,' said Jessie, leering at the three.

'Give my Pokémon back right now!' Ash yelled up at them. Iris and Cilan exchanged slightly astonished looks. They had never seen Ash this angry before and Iris mentally told herself to lighten up on the kid jokes, if this was how he ended up reacting.

'Now what would be the fun in that?' James retorted. 'The bosses have a lot of surprises waiting for you, and we can't have these pesky Pokémon ruining the show.'

'So just sit back and relax, twoip, 'cause you'll be dying to see what happens next!' Meowth shouted. 'Hah!'

Ash growled in frustration. There was no way he was going to let these clowns get away with this. He had gone through too many of their schemes to let them get the better of him now. Still, they were holding all the cards, and he was not going to let his friends get hurt on his account. 'All right, all right, you got me, now let the rest of them go.'

'Oh no, we don't have you yet,' Jessie said with a menacing lilt to her voice. From where Ash was, she held up something in her hand and pressed something on it. The next moment, two huge claws shot down from where they were and grabbed onto Axew and Pikachu and hauled them up through the hole.

'Pikachu!' Ash yelled.

'Axew!' shrieked Iris, making a lunge for her Pokémon, but to no avail. Crying, the two Pokémon were yanked right up to where the grinning Team Rocket was.

'Now we do,' Jessie finished her earlier statement.

'Toodle-oo!' cackled the team as the hole in the ceiling sealed up completely.

'No!' Ash shouted. Spinning back to the screens, he yelled at the four men grinning evilly at the screen, 'Return our Pokémon right now!'

'Or you'll what? Deafen us further?' taunted Archie.

'Now, Archie, don't taunt our young friend,' Phoebus said in a sort of amused disapproval. 'If he wants his friends back, I'd say let's give him a fighting chance.'

Maxie's face quirked slightly. 'Well, I was getting bored anyway.'

Cilan's temples were already starting to twitch. 'What makes you think Ash is going to agree to this insane deal?'

'Because if he doesn't, he can watch his friends leave this world, one annoying brat at a time,' replied Giovanni. 'And if you think I'm bluffing, you might want to watch this.' His image vanished from the screen to be replaced by a picture of Liza, flying through the air on her four Charizard, a sad expression on her face. The picture seemed to be coming from a flying camera somewhere.

The next moment, a black shape swooped through the range of the camera and snatched all four Pokémon and their rider in a huge net. Liza struggled as the Charizard blasted flames, but the net didn't even tear. The shape dragged them down as the camera showed their destination: the Spirit of Pokémon.

Giovanni's face reappeared on the screen. 'Now, if we can do that, how hard do you think it is to get rid of some meddling kids?'

'You jerk!' Ash shouted in fury. 'Leave her out of this! I swear, when I get my Pokémon back you'll wish you'd never taken them!'

'Ash, calm down!' Cilan said, grasping onto his friend's shoulder. 'We can't do anything right now.'

'Cilan's right, Ash,' Iris said, taking his other shoulder. 'They're in control right now. All we can do now is do as he says.'

'But they're my friends,' Ash said, breathing and trying to cool his temper. 'I can't lose them.'

'Don't worry,' Phoebus said darkly. 'You're not going to lose them…yet. If we wanted to kill them now, what would be the fun in that? No, we have a much better idea for you.'

All four of the men grinned evilly and spoke in unison, 'A Pokémon tournament.'

* * *

><p>I'll be posting the rest up soon, so please R&amp;R! And please, no flaming!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4 Game On

**Friendship is Eternal**

**A/N: **Ash, Iris and Cilan find themselves pulled away from their journey at the request of one of their old friends. This starts them on a quest that brings back many old faces, a few new ones, and a challenge that Ash must overcome. Exactly what challenge is this? Well, you're just going to have to read to find out!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything Pokémon related whatsoever.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: Game On<strong>

'A Pokémon tournament?' repeated Iris.

'Exactly,' said Archie. 'Your little friend here will be going up against some of our best. If he wins, his little friends go free. If he doesn't, well, lets just say things won't end well for them.'

'Meaning what?' asked Cilan slowly.

'They'll be taking a swim,' answered Maxie, 'a heavy, lead-weighted swim.'

'You mean I'll be battling for my friends' lives?' said Ash, teeth gritted. 'No deal! Let them go now!'

'Well, I hardly think you're in a position to make demands now, are you?' noted Giovanni sardonically. 'Of course, if you're adamant, I think we'll have to move their departure schedules up a few hours. Say…right now?' A button appeared on the side of his desk, and he raised his hands, clearly intending to press it.

'No no! Wait, wait!' Ash said, holding his hands up. 'I'll do it. But how am I supposed to battle you without my Pokémon?'

'Oh, that's taken care of,' answered Phoebus. He clicked his fingers, and the side of the ballroom rose into the air. Ash turned to see an entire shelf-full of Poké-balls, laying in neat rows.

'See, when we went to capture your friend Mr. Sketchit, we took the liberty of borrowing your Pokémon in the process,' said Phoebus smugly. 'After all, we didn't want to give you a completely lopsided fight now, would we?'

'Not to mention locating all the Pokémon that you gave up through your journey, including that incredibly willful Charizard you had in the valley. After all, we needed some way of making sure your little friend Liza would cooperate,' added Maxie.

Ash glared at them. 'You stole my Pokémon, my partners, my friends,' he snarled. 'You are going to pay.'

'Ah, don't be so hasty now,' said Giovanni. 'After all, you haven't even seen who you're fighting.' As Ash and his companions wondered what was going on, a rumbling sound started to permeate the whole room, and the stage at the side of the ballroom started to smoke with white mist, as if preluding something.

Then, the curtain covering the stage rose up, revealing 5 silhouettes enshrouded in the smoke, illuminated by bright lights behind them. Each one of them looked about the height of Ash himself. The next moment, the smoke cleared, the rear lights dimmed, and the overhead spotlights lit up. Ash's eyes widened.

Standing in front of him were 5 teenage Pokémon trainers, each looking between 14 to 16 years old, all with grim, blank stares on their faces. On the far left, there stood a youthful boy with jet black hair hidden under a yellow-and-black cap, wearing a black t-shirt under a red jacket with black and white trimming, black pants, and red-and-white sneakers. Slung over his shoulder was a beige knapsack, and mounted on his wrist was a device Ash recognized as a Pokégear.

Next to him was a young girl, with hair the color of charcoal hanging down to her waist, with a white hat with a pink band perched on her head. She was wearing a light blue tank top with a black collar, a crimson thigh-length skirt, light blue socks and white, pink and black hi-tops. She had a yellow travelling bag on her shoulder, with what looked like a pink VS Seeker attached to the strap.

The boy in the centre was the tallest by a few inches, possibly because of his spiky white knit hat, tied back with a green, Poké-ball-inscribed headband, a few tufts of black hair sticking out from the sides. A complete colour-coded ensemble consisting of a red-and-black shirt with matching black trousers, red fingerless gloves with green and black cuffs, red-green-white-and-black sneakers and a green backpack.

After that came another boy, with a few strands of short black hair hidden under a red beret, inscribed with a black-and-white Poké-ball inscribed on the side. He was wearing a black sleeveless shirt over a white t-shirt, blue jeans, and red-and-grey shoes. Tied around his neck was a long red scarf, a yellow backpack hung off his shoulders, and a blue watch that Ash recognized as a Pokétch was around his wrist.

The last boy in the group was tall and thin, with chin-length black hair with an odd tuft sitting on the top. Half-rimmed glasses with an orange frame sat on his nose, giving him the look of an intellectual. He wore a sea-blue blazer over a white-and-orange tunic, long black trousers, and blue shoes. Unlike the others, he wasn't carrying a backpack.

'Who are you?' Cilan called.

All five kids turned their gaze on them, and Ash, Iris and Cilan were all taken aback by the fact that all of them had a blank, but still menacing gaze, as if their pupils and irises had shrunk down to pinpoints, so that nothing could be seen except a tiny black dot in an otherwise white eye.

The glasses-wearing kid at the far right stepped calmly forward. 'We are the Checkmate Five, the elite Pokémon battlers of Teams Rocket, Magma, Aqua and Galactic. My name is Cheren, but you can call me Bishop, the tactician. Your battle skills cannot hope to match my strategies.'

The kid in the red jacket at the far left spoke up next. 'The name's Ethan, the Rook. I'm the strongest one in our inner circle. Mess with me, and prepare to get crushed by my Pokémon.' He punched his right palm with his left for emphasis.

The boy wearing the beret followed. 'Lucas is my name, but I prefer the name Knight. You won't find a better fighter than me around these parts, and all my opponents soon find that out very quickly.'

The sole girl spoke with an odd lilt. 'My name's Leaf, but please, call me Queen. My Pokémon team is virtually unbeatable. After all, the Queen is the strongest piece on the board.'

The tallest boy in the middle finished. 'My name's Brendan, the King of the Checkmate Five. Despite what you may think, I am the best battler among us. I've never lost a battle before, although these four did put up a good fight.'

Ash's eyes narrowed as they swept over the 5 trainers standing in front of him. 'So you're answering to these four? I'll have your hide for this! Give back my Pokémon and my friends now!'

'Tsk,' snorted Knight. 'So much rage. So much animosity. I'll enjoy teaching you your lesson.'

'You've got a lot of nerve talking to us like that!' called Rook. 'If we didn't have our orders I'd pound you into the dirt!'

'Calm down, Ethan,' said Queen smoothly. Turning her attention to Ash, 'If you want your friends back, in reasonable condition, you're going to face us, one at a time. Win, and your friends can go. Lose, and watch them perish.'

Ash snarled in fury. 'Why don't I start with you!' He leapt off the cushion and went charging straight at the five of them. He lunged straight at King, hoping to pummel him into submission…

…only to find himself suddenly flying backwards before he knew what happened. He landed on the floor with a loud crash.

'Ash!' cried both Iris and Cilan.

'Pathetic,' scoffed King, who was rubbing his fist. Ash, as he sat up, groaning, was suddenly aware of an ache on his face, and when he touched the, it felt sore.

'Weak,' said King scornfully. 'Just like his friends. Honestly, they put up more of a fight than he did.'

Ash struggled to his feet. 'You'll pay for that. I won't let my friends get hurt!'

'Oh, I'm afraid you're going to have to, once we pound you and your pitiful Pokémon into the dirt,' said Rook. 'Well, I can't wait any longer. Shall we get started?'

'Yes, we will,' said Giovanni smoothly, watching from the screen. 'Go along, kiddies. I think it's time for Mr. Ketchum to begin preparing. He, after all, needs all the help he can get.'

Laughing hard, the four crime bosses vanished from the screen. The Checkmate Five turned and headed for the back of the stage, disappearing into the curtains. The last one, Queen, turned back and said, 'If I were you, I probably would just surrender. That at the least will make your friends' death merciful.'

Ash glared right at her, and she stared back, not flinching a bit. In the back of Ash's mind, he suddenly felt a small flash of recognition, but before he could get a better look, she turned and vanished into the back.

Iris and Cilan clambered off the cushion and moved to their friend's side. 'Ash, are you okay?' asked Cilan.

Ash turned to face him, an odd look in his eyes. 'I've been dropped into a hole, had my Pokémon stolen, pushed around by a bunch of old jerks, and now I find myself in a Pokémon tournament that If I lose, I lose all my friends in the process!' Ash said to him, his voice steadily increasing in volume and hysteria. 'How can you think I'm okay?!'

'Ash, calm down! You're whining like a kid!' Iris said in irritation. That was evidently the wrong thing to say, as Ash immediately rounded on her.

'Do you think I'm such a kid that I can't take this thing seriously?' he exclaimed in disbelief. 'My friends' lives are on the line! I have to win! This isn't just some tournament where I just lose the cup! If I lose, everyone loses, and it'll be my fault…' His voice trailed off and he looked at the floor sadly. 'I have to win. My friends are counting on me.'

'That may be, Ash,' Cilan said in his even tone, 'but you won't save them by losing your cool. If you're going to win this, you need to be at your best. You need to stay calm and focus.'

Ash took a deep breath. 'No, not if I win; _when_ I win. I'm going to win this tournament, pound those pompous four into the dust, and rescue my friends. No matter what it takes.'

Iris put a hand on his shoulder. 'You are going to win Ash,' she said. 'I can feel it.'

Ash was silent for a moment, and then he reached up and twisted his cap on backwards. 'Then I'd better be prepared,' he said with a determined expression, turning towards the wall where his Poké-balls lay.

'Right,' Ash said, 'let's see who I have…' but as he reached out for a Poké-ball, suddenly metal panels slid across from the sides of the shelves, blocking off several shelves until there was only one, which had only 6 Poké-balls in it. 'Hey!' he exclaimed indignantly. 'What gives?'

'Oh, I almost forgot to mention,' came Phoebus's taunting voice over some concealed speakers. 'We didn't want to make this little tournament too easy for you, Mr. Ketchum, so we put in a few rules.'

'Rules?' repeated Iris.

'Do you plan on repeating everything I say, Ms. Drayden?' spoke Phoebus irritably. 'Yes, there are rules. One, you are only allowed to choose from a selection that we preselect for you. Two, any Pokémon you use, you cannot use again for another battle.'

'_Yaro_,' muttered Ash under his breath, which made Cilan look at him strangely. Out loud, he spoke, 'Fine. I'll beat your team no matter what Pokémon I use.'

'Very good,' said Phoebus in an oily tone. 'Better hurry, you don't want to keep your competitor waiting.'

Ash looked at his six available Poké-balls. It didn't look like he had much choice in the matter, so he picked them up one at a time, and attached them to his belt. Wondering who was in them, he reached for his Pokédex and held it against his Poké-balls. Iris and Cilan looked over to see what Pokémon Ash was forced to use.

On the screen showed a picture of Ash, and beside it showed the six Pokémon he currently carried. A yellow dinosaur-like creature with a collar and crest made of leaves, a small blue alligator-like Pokémon, a sleek, black and beige Pokémon with a tail and collar made of fire, a large blue beetle with a huge horn, a gold and brown owl with a large horned crest, and a huge armored elephant looked out at him from the screen.

'Bayleef, Totodile, Quilava, Heracross, Noctowl, and Donphan,' muttered Ash to himself. 'Not too shabby. I don't think I'll have that many problems with this trainer.'

'Wow, Ash,' said Iris, looking at the pictures, 'You've certainly got a lot of amazing Pokémon.'

'That's true,' said Cilan, looking thoughtful, 'but I wonder why they're all from the Johto Region?'

'Who cares right now?' answered Ash, flipping his Pokédex closed. 'We got friends to save, and I can't waste a single moment. Let's go.' He turned and marched towards the stage, Iris and Cilan following him, prepared to offer whatever help they could give.

As Ash and his friends walked through the curtain, they found themselves backstage with 5 individual doors. Each one had a different chess piece mounted above each door; with the king piece in the middle, flanked by the queen and the bishop, and then the knight and the rook alongside them. Lights underneath the rook lit up the chess piece at the moment; all the others were dark.

'Great, now where do we go?' Iris muttered, looking at each door in turn.

'I don't know where, but I know who,' Ash said determinedly, making a beeline for the door marked with the king. 'I'm heading straight for the top.' He grabbed the doorknob, twisted and tugged, but the door refused to open at all. He pulled harder and harder, but the door remained steadfastly shut.

'That door is almost as stubborn as you are,' smirked Iris, as her friend tried bracing his feet against the wall to yank it open.

'Ash,' Cilan called, 'I don't think we can get in there quite yet.'

Ash turned an irritable eye to his friend. 'I can see that I can't get in, but what do you mean by _yet_?'

'I mean look at the chess pieces,' said Cilan, pointing at them. 'I think they represent doors that can be opened at the moment. In other words, the only door we can go through, and the only opponent you can face, is Rook.'

Ash scowled. 'Fine, as long as I can get one step closer to saving my friends.' Turning, he made for the door, yanked it open and all but charged through.

He found himself standing at the entrance of a huge indoor swimming pool complex. He was facing a long, wide, tiled walkway, and on either side was water, marked by a few floating platforms on each pool.

At the very end of the walkway was the familiar red-jacketed figure of Ethan, the Rook, standing there with a smirk on his face. 'So, you decided to show up after all,' he said, 'I was wondering if you had the guts.'

'Oh, I've got guts to spare,' snapped back Ash. 'Now where are my friends?'

'I've got two of them right here,' answered Rook, pointing to the ceiling. Above the deep pool, Ash and his friends saw a metal cage, suspended from the ceiling by 6 steel cables. Because of the angle, Ash couldn't see who was inside. Then, a disheveled head poked out of the cage and looked down at Ash. A head full of curly black hair.

'Khoury!' shouted Ash.

'Ash!' called down Khoury in a tired voice. Turning back to the cage, he called, 'Lyra, it's Ash!' A second, female head wearing a white cap popped out of the cage.

'Ash!' she cried.

'Lyra!' called Ash. 'Don't worry, I'll save you!'

'Hey!' yelled Rook. 'You'd better worry about yourself and your Pokémon if you plan on saving her. For each of your Pokémon that faints, one of those cables is going to break. If you plan on saving them, you'd better think fast.' A grim smirk crossed his face. 'But those cables aren't going to last for more than three of my Pokémon. I guarantee it!'

'Ethan!' shouted Lyra. 'What are you doing? Stop it now!'

'You be quiet!' yelled back Rook. 'I've got a job to do, and you can't make me stop!'

'Have you forgotten about your journey? Your virtues? Our friendship?' Lyra cried out. 'How can you do this?'

'Come on, Ethan, snap out of it!' called Khoury.

Ash, Iris and Cilan stood by, looking a bit confused. Did they know the Rook from before?

'Come on, Ethan, listen to your friends!' Ash called, trying to size up the situation. 'You don't have to do this!'

'Yes, I do,' replied Ethan, grabbing a Poké-ball from his pack. 'Let's get started!'

* * *

><p>I'll be posting the rest up soon, so please R&amp;R! And please, no flaming!<p> 


	5. Chapter 5 Opening Move

**Friendship is Eternal**

**A/N: **Ash, Iris and Cilan find themselves pulled away from their journey at the request of one of their old friends. This starts them on a quest that brings back many old faces, a few new ones, and a challenge that Ash must overcome. Exactly what challenge is this? Well, you're just going to have to read to find out!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything Pokémon related whatsoever.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5: Opening Move<strong>

'Ursaring, it's battle time!' yelled Rook, hurling a white, yellow and black Level Ball inscribed with a red V into the air. The ball split open, releasing a flare of light that formed into Ethan's first Pokémon: a huge, hulking grizzly bear of a Pokémon with rail-spike claws and a round ring on its belly.

Ash swallowed slightly. 'Looks like when he said that he was a strength battler, he wasn't kidding,' he muttered to himself. 'Okay, I need speed. Noctowl, let's go!' he shouted, hurling his own red-and-white Poké-ball. In a dazzling display of sparkles, the huge owl Pokémon appeared, flaring its large brown wings as it landed and ruffling its golden feathers. Its large eyes locked on to his opponent, and it twisted its neck 90˚ in preparation for the battle.

'Alright,' said Rook, unperturbed by the sight of Ash's first Pokémon. 'This will be a full six-on-six battle. You know the drill; the battle will be over when one side runs out of Pokémon, yadda yadda yadda. There is one rule though: both sides are only allowed one Pokémon switch during the whole battle.'

'One Pokémon change?' repeated Ash.

'That's right, only one Pokémon change, and you can use it any time during the match.' Then his face twisted into a frown. 'But enough lollygagging, let's get started! Ursaring, use Slash!'

With a bellow, Ursaring barreled right for Noctowl, its claws lengthened and glowing white.

'Noctowl, up now!' Ash shouted. With a hoot, Noctowl flared his wings and shot into the air as Ursaring barreled right underneath it.

'Ash has to be careful,' warned Cilan. 'That single Pokémon switch means that he must use it wisely, but it also means that his opponent could spring a surprise on him at any moment.

'Well, I don't think Ursaring will be too much trouble,' said Iris. 'After all, I don't think these Pokémon are known for their speed.'

'Can't hit us from up here,' Ash said to himself. 'Noctowl, hit him with Air Slash!'

Noctowl flared and then flapped its wings powerfully, as a series of sky-blue glowing saw blades flew straight towards Ursaring.

'Knock them down!' snapped back Rook. Ursaring roared and slashed its still-glowing claws at the blades, knocking them aside.

'You think you're safe up there?' called Rook. 'Think again! Ursaring, use Smack Down!'

Ursaring drew back one of its powerful arms and a glowing brown boulder generated in the palm of its paw. With a grunt, it pitched the rock straight towards Noctowl. The rock nailed one of its wings and the owl Pokémon let out a pained cry as it fell out of the air to land with a thud.

'Now use Strength and send it for a dip!' followed up Rook. Ursaring charged once more for Noctowl and grabbed it in a bear hug. Lifting it over its head, its body glowed with a white aura, and then it heaved his opponent straight towards the water.

Ash knew that if Noctowl's feathers got wet, it would be unable to fly. 'Noctowl, quick, recover and fly!'

Right before Noctowl was about to make a splash landing, its eyes blinked open and it flipped over and flapped powerfully, sending the water splashing around as it took back to the air.

'Ash, watch out!' Lyra called down. 'Ethan may think with his attacks most of the time but he's no idiot!'

'Pipe down!' Rook snarled up at his captives. 'Ursaring, use Smack Down again!'

'Dodge it!' countered Ash.

Ursaring generated another rock in its palm and hurled it at Noctowl. The owl Pokémon flew deftly out of the way, but the rock crashed soundly against the bottom of the suspended cage, and the cage rocked wildly from the impact, the occupants of the cage screaming in fright.

'Lyra! Khoury!' Ash cried. 'We've got to finish this fast. Use Extrasensory!'

Noctowl's pupils glowed gold, and then it opened its beak and fired a gold wave of psychic energy straight at Ursaring. The Hibernation Pokémon grunted under the assault, and it stumbled back a few steps.

'All right! We've got them! Use Extrasensory again!'

'Not this time! Ursaring, Shadow Claw!'

Another blast of psychic power went blazing forward, but this time, Ursaring lashed out its claw, coated in a sheath of dark, shadowy energy, and split the wave right before it reached its target.

Ash was surprised, as he didn't expect a move like that from Ursaring. Rook immediately took advantage. 'Now use Strength again!'

Ursaring planted its claws on the ground and its body glowed with power again. Tearing a chunk of the tiled floor out of the ground, he hurled it at Noctowl.

'Noctowl, dodge and use Hypnosis!' Ash called.

Noctowl easily evaded the thrown chunk of ground and swooped in close. Before Ursaring had a chance to counter, Noctowl glared right into its opponent's eyes, its irises flashing into a multitude of color. Ursaring faltered, its own irises glowing the same way, and then it collapsed into a heap, snoring fitfully. Rook snarled at his Pokémon's state.

'Yes! Now's our chance!' crowed Ash. 'Use Sky Attack!'

Noctowl rose into the air, almost to the ceiling, and its body glowed with blazing white fire as it focused its power into its body. A moment later, with a loud cry, it plunged straight for the snoozing Ursaring.

However, a few moments before impact, Ursaring's eyes flashed open. Rook saw this and took his chance. 'Quick, use Hammer Arm!' he yelled.

Ursaring sprang to its feet, channeling power into its right fist until it was glowing white as well, then swung it forward right as Noctowl crashed right into it. A huge explosion boomed out and everyone shielded his or her eyes from the smoke. A moment later, the smoke cleared to reveal Ursaring panting and down on one knee, but Noctowl sprawled out on the ground, spirals in its eyes.

'Noctowl, no!' cried Ash in dismay.

'Looks like I take first round,' Rook said maliciously, 'and your friends take one more step to the deep.' A remote appeared in his hand like magic and he pressed one button on it. There was a whirring sound and a loud snap, and suddenly the cage above the pool swung dangerously, one of the cables having been released. Lyra and Khoury clung to the bars of the cage in fright.

'Guys, no!' exclaimed Ash while Iris and Cilan stood there in horror.

'Oops, guess I forgot to mention,' chuckled Rook, 'every time you lose a Pokémon, one of those cables breaks, so I think you know what happens when you lose the battle, don't you?'

'Ethan, how can you do this to us?' cried Lyra desperately. 'Please stop!'

Ash gritted his teeth in frustration as he recalled Noctowl back into its Poké-ball. 'Thanks, Noctowl, take a good rest.' Turning back to Rook, he called, 'Alright, I'm through taking it easy on you. Quilava, I choose you!' He pitched out his next Poké-ball, which opened up to release his next Pokémon: a black-backed, white-bellied, long-bodied porcupine with spike-like flames blazing from its head and tail.

'Let's end this fast,' said Ash determinedly. 'Quilava, use Swift!'

Quilava opened its mouth and breathed out a flurry of golden stars that arced towards the injured Ursaring. Ursaring didn't have the strength to dodge, so could only sit there panting as the stars impacted its body.

'Ursaring, don't give up yet!' called Rook. 'Finish it with Smack Down!'

'Don't let up, Quilava!' Ash countered. 'Take it out with Flamethrower!'

Quilava unleashed a blistering torrent of flames straight at Ursaring as it was rearing back to throw its boulder, and the bear Pokémon roared as it was scorched by the fire. When Quilava stopped the torrent, Ursaring was lying flat on its back, unconscious.

'Looks like we're now even,' said Ash.

'Thanks for that, Ursaring, take a rest,' said Rook expressionlessly as he recalled his defeated Pokémon. This did not go unnoticed as Cilan and Iris looked over at him.

'Iris, I think that Rook is being controlled by something,' whispered Cilan to Iris.

'What do you mean?' murmured back Iris.

'Look, he's sporadically switching between being cold-hearted for his friends and caring towards his Pokémon. Something's screwy with that boy's recipe and I want to know what's causing the bad taste.'

Iris nodded. 'Well, we can't figure out what's going on now,' she said. 'We'll have to wait until this battle is over.

'Ariados, it's battle time!' called Rook as he tossed his next Poké-ball. The ball burst open to reveal a huge red spider-like Pokémon with long purple and yellow legs, black rings around its body, large purple eyes and equally large white fangs and a pointed horn on its forehead.

'Oh great,' muttered Ash. 'I can't let Quilava be caught in its web. Quilava, use Swift again!' Once more, Quilava unleashed a hail of stars straight at Ariados.

'Counter with Night Shade!' shouted Rook. Ariados snarled and fired a beam of dark, shadowy lightning from its horn straight at the stars, blasting them down 10 at a time.

'Keep it at a distance! Flamethrower!'

'Dodge it and use Bug Bite!'

As Quilava let loose with a powerful tongue of flame, Ariados leapt out of the way and came down right on top of Quilava. It sank its fangs into Quilava's back, making the Volcano Pokémon cry out in pain.

'Quilava, no!' Ash cried.

'Something's not right,' muttered Cilan.

'What do you mean?' asked Iris.

'I mean that the usual strategy for Ariados is to tangle its opponent in its web or silk attacks and then go in for the win,' answered Cilan. 'But how come that's not the case here?'

'Quilava, get it off!' Ash yelled. 'Eruption!'

'_Quiiiii-lavaaaa_!' bellowed the Pokémon as the flames on its head started to increase in power and intensity. Aiming its crest of flames straight at Ariados, a blast of flames that resembled molten lava blazed out from its crown, striking Ariados and sending it skittering back in fright and pain.

Rook snarled. 'Time to take this to the end game. Ariados, use Sludge Bomb!'

Ariados flipped onto its back, revealing its yellow rear spinnerets, not to mention black eye markings, and sent a barrage of purple bombs made of sludge hurtling towards Quilava.

Ash wasn't perturbed. 'Quilava, show 'em the Flame Wheel countershield!'

Even as the purple bombs flew towards him, Quilava leapt into a forward roll and coated its body with fire, turning itself into a flaming ball that rolled on the spot. Waves of fire flew off its body, cutting the bombs out of the air one at a time.

'What the-' Rook started to say.

'All right, top it off with Aerial Ace and let 'er rip!' Ash bellowed.

Wound up from the spinning, Quilava released itself and went flying forward like a fiery cannonball. As it flew, white bands of air coalesced into a pointed air shield in front of it.

'Ariados, stop it with Cross Poison!' Rook yelled just in time.

Ariados flipped itself back onto its feet and brought its front claws, glowing purple with toxic power, right down as Quilava got there. There was a loud crash and a powerful explosion, but Ariados was sent flying backwards out of the black cloud and almost crashed into Rook as it skidded to the ground, out like a light, as Quilava uncurled itself in mid-air to land perfectly on its feet.

'All right!' cheered Iris. '2 down, 4 to go!'

Rook scowled. 'Fine, you take this round.' He recalled his Pokémon, saying to it, 'Good job, now take a rest.' Even as Cilan stared oddly at him, he took out a white, blue, red, and yellow-striped Lure Ball and hurled it out. 'Seadra, it's battle time!' he shouted, as the ball released a flash of light that flew into the pool and formed into a new Pokémon: a large blue seahorse-like Pokémon with a long snout, beige scales on its belly and wickedly pointed fins on the back of its head and body.

'Oh no, not good,' Ash said. The Fire-type Quilava was at a definite disadvantage, but he couldn't risk his Pokémon switch now. But if Quilava was going out, he wasn't going to go down lying down. 'Quilava, hit it with a Swift attack!'

Quilava reared onto its back legs and fired another shower of stars. The stars zeroed in on Seadra, but Rook wasn't even bothered.

'Pathetic attempt,' he snorted. 'Seadra, cut them out with Brine, rapid fire!' Seadra responded with powerful shots of water spewing out of its snout, each blast shooting a dozen stars out of the way before one smashed against Quilava, making it howl as the water damaged it greatly.

'Oh, no! Quilava, Smokescreen!' shouted Ash. Quilava opened its mouth and spewed out a thick cloud of black smoke, completely concealing it from Seadra's view.

'You think that's going to stop us?' called Rook scornfully. 'Twister!'

Seadra leapt out of the water and breathed out powerfully, sending a roaring tornado of wind hurtling at the cloud of smoke. The cloud was blown straight out of the way and the Twister attack hammered right into Quilava, sending him hurtling backwards, straight towards the back of the room.

'Quilava, no!' shouted Ash, running to catch his Pokémon as it flew straight at him. Leaping up, he grunted as Quilava thudded into his chest and he landed safely, with his now unconscious Pokémon in his arms.

'Quilava, are you okay?' Ash cried, gripping his Fire Pokémon protectively. Quilava opened its eyes woozily and gave a tired '_Quiii_,' in response.

'Are you done being sappy?' called Rook, ''cause I wouldn't want you to miss this!' He pressed another button on the remote and the second cable snapped, making the cage wobble even more.

'Ash, hurry!' cried Lyra.

'Don't worry, Lyra! I'll get you down! I promise!' called Ash.

'You know you shouldn't make promises you can't keep, Ketchum! Hah!' Rook yelled from his position. Ash growled. He was going to wipe that smile off Rook's face and save his friends, no matter what it took.

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><p>I'll be posting the rest up soon, so please R&amp;R! And please, no flaming!<p> 


	6. Chapter 6 Brutality

**Friendship is Eternal**

**A/N: **Ash, Iris and Cilan find themselves pulled away from their journey at the request of one of their old friends. This starts them on a quest that brings back many old faces, a few new ones, and a challenge that Ash must overcome. Exactly what challenge is this? Well, you're just going to have to read to find out!

P.S. Sorry for the slight delay, but it's exam season here, so it's a bit troublesome.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything Pokémon related whatsoever.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6: Brutality<strong>

Ash gritted his teeth as he recalled the injured Quilava. 'We'll see about that, Rook,' he said. 'I choose you, Bayleef!' His next Poké-ball burst open to reveal a large yellow dinosaur-like Pokémon with a ring of spicy-smelling leaves around its neck and a large sharp leaf on its head. It turned and saw Ash, and cuddled up to him lovingly.

Ash chuckled sheepishly at this. 'Bayleef, this isn't the time! We've got friends to save!'

Rook didn't appear fazed. 'Trying a type advantage? Give me a break! Seadra, take it out with Twister!' Once more, Seadra breathed out a spiraling tornado of wind straight at Bayleef and Ash.

'Bayleef, look out!' Ash yelled. Bayleef spun around to see the incoming twister, then looked back at Ash. Turning to face the wind, it let out a loud cry, and a transparent shield of energy formed right in front of it. The Twister crashed right into it, but Bayleef didn't even budge, the powerful winds dispersing around itself and its trainer.

'What? Bayleef!' exclaimed Ash.

'Incredible! Bayleef knows Light Screen!' said Cilan. 'It must be well-trained to learn such an incredible move!'

'Alright! Thanks Bayleef!' Ash said. 'Now use Razor Leaf!' Bayleef dispersed its shield and then charged forward, whipping its leaf around and sending razor-edged leaves hurtling towards Seadra.

'Don't even bother,' said Rook. 'Seadra, dodge them all!' Seadra whipped from side to side, evading every single leaf that was aimed at it.

'Now use Headbutt!' Rook ordered. Seadra leapt right out of the pool at high speeds and rammed right into Bayleef. Bayleef staggered back in pain as Seadra landed in the other pool on the opposite side of the ledge.

'End it with Brine, rapid-fire!' Rook shouted. Once more, Seadra sent balls of water flying at Bayleef, which cried out as the balls of water made painful impact.

'Cilan, how is a water-type attack causing so much damage to Bayleef?' Iris asked in slight panic.

'It must be Seadra's ability, Sniper,' Cilan realized. 'It makes critical hits that much more damaging!'

'That's not going to stop us!' Ash said in determination. 'Bayleef, Light Screen again!' Once more, Bayleef generated its barrier of light that deflected the water attacks.

'Now for Sweet Scent!' Ash said. Bayleef swung its leaf and released a sweet-smelling scent that flowed over the whole field. Seadra's movements started to become sluggish as it breathed in the scent.

'Seadra, underwater now!' Rook called. Obediently, Seadra ducked beneath the water's surface where the smell couldn't reach it.

'Let's see you get Seadra now!' Rook called tauntingly. 'It could come up anytime, anywhere!'

'Then I'll just have to get it out!' Ash countered. 'Bayleef, use Body Slam on the water!'

'Huh?' Rook uttered.

'Huh?' echoed Iris and Cilan.

Bayleef leapt powerfully into the air, and came down hard on the pool's surface, wincing as it made a huge belly flop into the water. The water plumed upward in a huge geyser of water, sending Seadra flying into the air along with the water, somersaulting wildly.

'Now, grab it with Vine Whip, slam, jump and use Body Slam again!' yelled Ash. Bayleef poked its head out of the water and lashed out two long vines from beneath its leaf collar, snagged the airborne Seadra, slammed it on the tiled ground, and used the leverage to catapult itself right out of the pool.

'Oh, nuts,' Rook uttered as Bayleef dropped like a ton of bricks right onto the downed Seadra, completely flattening it to the ground like a pancake. Bayleef bounced off its flattened opponent, who lay on the tiled floor out cold.

'Yes! Great job, Bayleef!' shouted Ash. Bayleef cried out in joy and ran back to its trainer, almost bulldozing him in excitement.

'Great job, Seadra, rest up,' said Rook, recalling his Pokémon.

'Ethan, you don't have to continue,' called Ash, 'Stop this battle and you can save your friends!'

'Shut it, Ketchum!' growled Rook. 'I have my orders, and that's to leave you broken and your friends dead! Typhlosion, it's battle time!' He hurled another Poké-ball into the air and it opened up to reveal a giant wolverine-like Pokémon, similar to Ash's Quilava, except it was taller, more brutal looking, and the flames emanating from its shoulders were like wildfire. Standing on its hind legs, it gave a roar that echoed like thunder through the room.

Ash gulped. 'Oh great.' He was under no illusions whatsoever that this Pokémon was probably his ace in the entire battle and from the looks of things, one of, if not _the _strongest Pokémon he had. Bayleef leapt back to the field with a cry, ready to battle to the end.

'Take it out with Lava Plume!' yelled Rook. Typhlosion gave a massive roar, its flames built to a feverish temperature, and there was a huge explosion, a wave of smoke, fire and lava erupting from its body.

'Bayleef, Light Screen now!' Ash shouted. Bayleef growled and its defensive shield appeared in front of it. It braced its feet as the wave hit, but it started sliding back from the impact.

'Don't think that's going to save you!' Rook barked. 'Typhlosion, use Rollout!' A moment later, a rolling Typhlosion burst through the smoke, straight through the barrier and right into Bayleef, clobbering it straight into the ground, out cold.

Rook chuckled. 'Another one down, and another one down. ' Once again, another cable broke away, leaving the cage swinging with just three cables remaining. Lyra squealed in terror, as Khoury clung to the bars in fright.

'Ethan, stop! Don't you remember who you are?' called Khoury.

'Shut it!' Rook yelled. 'My name is Rook, and you're not my friends anymore! I've got a job to do, and this upstart isn't going to stop me!'

'We'll see,' answered Ash, recalling Bayleef. 'Thanks Bayleef. Let's go, Heracross!' Another flash of light erupted as Ash hurled his next Poké-ball that formed into a huge blue beetle with strong arms and legs and a gigantic rhino beetle's horn.

'Hah! What do you think you're playing at?' sneered Rook. 'Your Heracross is playing for a losing with this type disadvantage!'

'Don't underestimate my Heracross!' Ash retorted. 'Use Take Down!' Unfurling buzzing insect wings, Heracross shot for Typhlosion, horn first.

'Give me a break,' snapped Rook. 'Typhlosion, catch it!' A moment before impact, Typhlosion caught Heracross's horn in its paws, stopping it dead in its tracks. Ash gasped.

'Now throw it and use Flame Wheel!' shouted Rook. With a grunt, Typhlosion hurled Heracross bodily backwards through the air, then charged straight for it on all fours. As it ran, its shoulder flames flowed out and formed into a huge dome of flame around it, ready to crash right into the falling Heracross.

'Not this time, Rook!' shouted Ash. 'Heracross, use Megahorn and knock it into the water!' Heracross's eyes blinked open, and it opened its wings and regained control in mid-air. As Typhlosion approached at high speeds, it swerved to one side and with its horn glowing bright white, it batted Typhlosion off course, sending it flying straight at the pool.

Rook growled in frustration. 'No! Typhlosion, return!' He held out Typhlosion's Poké-ball and his Pokémon was sucked back into the ball in a flash of red light right before it hit the water. 'I can't lose you just yet.'

'What just happened, Cilan?' Iris asked, confused. 'Why would he make this switch now?'

'He must need to save that Pokémon for his final play,' said Cilan grimly. 'Looks like Ash has his work cut out for him.' In the back of his mind, he was deep in thought. _I know there's a pattern to Rook's battling style, but what exactly is it?_

'Delibird, it's battle time!' shouted Rook, pitching his fifth Poké-ball out onto the field, releasing a large red-and-white penguin-like Pokémon with somewhat short wings and a large sack-like tail. Its chest and head feathers gave it the appearance of antlers and a large beard.

'So, he's going for ultra-effective with flying-types?' murmured Ash to himself. 'But I know that Heracross can take it!' Heracross cried out in response, and buzzed its wings in preparation for an aerial battle.

'Delibird, show it your signature move! Present!' Rook ordered. Delibird spread its wings and flew into the air. Then, hovering in mid-air, it reached into its sack-like tail, pulled out a sparkling rainbow orb and hurled it right at Heracross. Heracross crossed its forearms and took the hit, as the orb exploded like a bomb sending it skidding backwards, but still on its feet.

'Heracross, get up there and give it your Focus Punch!' Ash shouted. Heracross buzzed its wings and shot upwards at Delibird, its forearms glowing white.

'Don't give it that chance! Icy Wind!' called Rook. Delibird started to flap its wings, shimmering sparkles of blue icy power emanating from the winds it emanated. As Heracross flew into the oncoming winds, its body started to slow down as the cold winds pushed it back.

'Now tag it out with Ice Beam!' Rook yelled. A ball of icy energy focused in between Delibird's horns, and then a tri-blast arced out from it, striking the charging Heracross and coating it in a layer of ice. With its wings frozen over, Heracross plummeted out of the sky to land with a thud, the ice shattering and sending it sprawling across the ground.

'Heracross, no!' cried Ash.

'Ash is in a real pinch this time,' said Cilan worriedly. As Iris looked at him curiously, he elaborated, 'Heracross is a real close-range fighter, and it needs to get in close to use its true power, but Delibird isn't going to let it get that close with its multitude of long-range attacks. Unless Ash can find a way to get in close, Heracross is going down.'

'Hang tough, Heracross, we can take this guy,' Ash coached. Heracross got slowly to its feet and flexed its arms, brushing off the remaining ice.

'Bomb it, Delibird! Present!' Rook shouted. Once more, Delibird hurled a rainbow orb straight at Heracross, but this time, when it hit, it burst into a shower of sparks that covered Heracross, surrounding it in a healing glow.

'Aw, nuts!' cursed Rook. 'He lucked out!'

'Now's our chance!' Ash yelled. 'Heracross, Hyper Beam!' Heracross responded, generating a powerful orb of pulsing gold energy at the tip of its horn and then letting fly with an intensely powerful beam of pure power. It struck Delibird dead-on and sent it flying through the air.

Rook was visibly surprised by that move. 'Nice trick, but you just left yourself wide open. Delibird, time to Fly!'

Delibird took to the air, gaining height every minute, and then it dive-bombed the immobile Heracross, who was now crackling with sparks. Rook smirked at the attack, but then he noticed Ash's grin.

'You've stepped into my court now, Rook! Heracross, time for a Megahorn!' Heracross's eyes flashed open, raised its glowing white horn and struck Delibird as it came in, sending it flying.

'Now, Focus Punch again!' Ash ordered. Once more, Heracross took off and shot for the spinning Delibird.

'Ice Beam, now!' ordered Rook. Delibird regained balance and started rapid-firing tri-blasts of icy energy at its adversary. Heracross was struck dead-on and the attack started to push him backwards.

'Don't give in, Heracross!' yelled Ash. 'Use Megahorn!' Heracross, with one last cry, energized its horn and ploughed through the Ice Beam attack to ram right into Delibird. There was an explosion and a huge cloud of black smoke, and the next second, two falling shapes tumbled out of the cloud to sprawl on the field, out like lights.

Rook looked annoyed. 'Looks like it's a tie this time,' he said grimly. 'Thanks for your help, Delibird,' he said as he recalled his Pokémon. 'But whatever the case, that's another Pokémon unconscious, and another cable out of luck.' With a clank, another cable broke away, leaving Lyra and Khoury helplessly swinging on just two cables. 'So, what's it going to be?'

Ash didn't answer. 'Great job, Heracross,' he said as he drew his unconscious Pokémon back into its Poké-ball. Turning his attention back to Rook, who drew his last Pokémon, Ash reached for another Poké-ball. 'Donphan, I choose you!' he shouted, throwing it out and releasing a Pokémon that resembled a large grey elephant with huge white tusks and an armored back and trunk that was ridged like a tire.

'Girafarig, it's battle time!' called Rook, pitching out his last Pokémon. The ball burst open to reveal a strange quadrupedal half-and-half Pokémon, with a front half resembling a yellow giraffe with black spots, pink spine and white antenna-like horns, and a back half which was jet-black with yellow spots and a tail with a toothy head on the end.

'A Psychic-type?' murmured Cilan. 'But for a strength battler, that doesn't make much sense….' Suddenly it came to him. 'Of course! That must be it! Ash, I've figured out his battling style!'

'Huh? You mean his battling style where he doesn't use any defensive moves whatsoever?'

'That's right! It's – huh?' Cilan stopped mid-sentence. 'You mean you already knew that?' Iris stared.

'Hey, I'm not as stupid as you might think,' Ash answered. 'Besides, this all-out attack style is something I've seen many times! Donphan, time for a Take Down!' Bellowing, Donphan barreled right for Girafarig.

'Dodge and use Crunch!' ordered Rook. As Donphan approached, Girafarig nimbly stepped out of the way and let it charge right past. Spinning around, it lashed out with its tail-head, which opened up revealing layers of sharp teeth. Before Donphan could react, it gnashed down on Donphan's trunk making it cry out in pain.

'Now show them your power! Stomp!' shouted Rook. Girafarig released Donphan and leapt up in the air, its front hooves prepared to come down hard.

'Defense Curl, then Rollout!' called Ash. Quickly, Donphan curled up into a hard ball as Girafarig came down hard on its head. Its hooves crashed hard against the armor on its face, sending it flying but relatively unharmed. As soon as Donphan hit the ground a short distance away, it spun like a wheel and shot forward, striking Girafarig like a set of 10-pins and sending it sailing. Even as it landed, the curled-up Donphan skidded like a motorcycle tire and came at it once again.

Rook gritted his teeth. 'Time for some payback! Girafarig, on its next pass, dodge and use Zen Headbutt!' Girafarig staggered to its feet and speedily dodged to one side as Donphan rocketed past. The next second, it lashed out with its horned head now glowing with a blue psychic energy shield, and rammed Donphan hard with his head, sending it flying straight towards the water!

* * *

><p>I'll be posting the rest up soon, so please R&amp;R! And please, no flaming!<p> 


	7. Chapter 7 Final Play

**Friendship is Eternal**

**A/N: **Ash, Iris and Cilan find themselves pulled away from their journey at the request of one of their old friends. This starts them on a quest that brings back many old faces, a few new ones, and a challenge that Ash must overcome. Exactly what challenge is this? Well, you're just going to have to read to find out!

P.S. Happy New Year!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything Pokémon related whatsoever.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7: Final Play<strong>

'Donphan, no!' yelled Ash, seeing his Pokémon plummet towards the water. 'Return now!' He held out his Poké-ball and Donphan was sucked back into it before he could land in the water.

'Payback's a bitch, isn't it, Ash?' taunted Rook. 'So what's it going to be?'

Ash gritted his teeth. Looks like he'd have to pull out his last ace sooner than he thought. 'Totodile, let's go!' he shouted, pitching his final red-and-blue Lure Ball out and releasing a small blue crocodile-like Pokémon with a large set of jaws and large teeth. It hopped up and down, dancing on the spot cheerfully.

'Hah! That's your last ace?' snorted Rook. 'Girafarig, knock it out with Psybeam! One shot!' His Pokémon responded by firing a sparkling beam of psychic energy from its horns, straight at the water-type.

'Totodile, dodge and use Water Gun!' Ash shouted. Totodile responded, leaping to one side of the Psybeam, opening its mouth, and expelling an enormous geyser of water straight at Girafarig. It splashed right into it and sent it skidding backwards.

'Alright, get it now! Bite attack!' Ash ordered. Totodile immediately started running towards the stunned Girafarig.

'Oh no you're not!' Rook snarled. 'Girafarig, Zen Headbutt!' Girafarig lowered its head and charged, its head glowing with its psychic shield. Before Totodile had a chance to dodge, Girafarig ploughed right into it, sending if flying through the air.

'No, Totodile!' cried Ash in dismay.

'No escape for this little gator now!' said Rook menacingly. 'Girafarig, Psybeam!' Once more, Girafarig launched a sparkling beam of psychic power, and this time it hit, forcing Totodile backwards through the air, to land sprawling on the ground.

'Totodile, can you get up?' Ash asked anxiously. Iris, Cilan, Lyra and Khoury were all looking nervously at the little Big Jaw Pokémon, as it slowly rose on its hands and knees, obviously in pain, but unwilling to give up.

'Well, looks like the little guy still has some fight in him,' chuckled Rook. 'I think it's time to extinguish it. Girafarig, take it out with a Crunch.' Girafarig snorted, and charged forward. In mid-stride, it spun around and thrust its tail, mouth wide open, towards Totodile.

'Totodile!' yelled Ash in panic. Totodile gritted its teeth, rose on its back legs, and then let out a cry. All of a sudden, its body erupted in white light, blinding everyone watching, as Girafarig stopped in its tracks with surprise.

'Toto…dile?' murmured Ash in amazement.

'It's…evolving!' exclaimed Khoury from up in the cage.

When the light faded, there, standing in front of Ash, was a larger blue crocodile with a giant beige jaw and beige markings on its belly resembling an animal's skin. Its body was now ridged with visible musculature, and its head, spine and heavy tail were edged with red scales. '_Croconaw_!' it bellowed.

'Wow! Totodile evolved into Croconaw!' Ash exclaimed in excitement. Croconaw gave a loud bellow and lunged for Girafarig. In mid-air it twisted around, and water rings started to billow out from around its tail, forming a cyclone of water. Its tail collided with Girafarig, sending it flying.

'And it just learned Aqua Tail!' Cilan shouted.

'All right, Croconaw,' Ash said, 'let's win this. Time for a Slash!' Crconaw rushed for Girafarig, the tips of its claws glowing.

'Girafarig, use Stomp! Cut it down!' shouted Rook. Girafarig leapt into the air, its hooves out and ready to crush its opponent.

'Dodge it!' Ash shouted. Croconaw halted in mid-stride and leapt backwards, right as Girafarig's hooves crashed into the ground in front of it.

'Scary Face!' Ash followed up. As Girafarig looked up, Croconaw glared directly into its face and growled, baring its mass of glistening teeth. Girafarig froze for a moment, and Ash took his chance.

'Water Gun, now!' Croconaw opened its jaw and expelled an even larger mass of water straight at Girafarig, this time blowing it clear off its feet and sending it flying.

'Grr!' Rook growled, his fists clenching as Girafarig struggled to its feet. 'Girafarig, you can take it! Use Crunch!'

Once more, Girafarig flared its body and leapt straight for Croconaw, its tail-head out and prepared to chomp.

'Show it some real teeth, Croconaw!' Ash yelled. 'Bite, now!' Croconaw opened its mouth and barreled right for Girafarig, dozens of teeth ready for biting. But this time, its teeth started to glow a pale blue colour and a chilling vapor started to emanate from its maw. As Girafarig thrust its head forward, Croconaw lunged forward and bit down on Girafarig's entire head-tail! Girafarig shrieked in pain, and pulled its tail out Croconaw, its entire back half encrusted in ice.

'That was Ice Fang!' Iris exclaimed. 'How many moves is that Pokémon going to learn?'

'Alright, Croconaw, once again! And this time, make it a real Bite!' Ash ordered. Before Girafarig had a chance to get out of range, Croconaw snapped forward and this time seized Girafarig around the neck. With a wrench, it heaved its four-legged opponent clear of the ground, swung it around a few times, and then hurled it right back at Rook, where it sprawled in front of him, out cold.

'Yes! Great job, Croconaw!' Ash cheered. He really expected Croconaw to start dancing around, but instead Croconaw bellowed, beat its chest with a clawed fist, and flexed its muscle. Ash raised his eyebrow. 'Looks like Croconaw's got an attitude adjustment,' he said to himself.

'Good job, Girafarig, take a rest,' Rook said, recalling his unconscious Pokémon. 'Looks like you're more of a challenge than I thought,' he said to Ash. 'But the end of the line comes now! Typhlosion, it's battle time again!' He threw out his second-to-last Poké-ball and his star Pokémon appeared again, bellowing loudly.

Ash was grim-faced. 'Croconaw, there's no going back now. You up for this?' Croconaw gnashed its teeth and bellowed. 'Alright, use Water Gun, full blast!' Croconaw obeyed with a tremendous gusher of water right out of its mouth.

Despite the type disadvantage, Rook didn't even bat an eyelid. 'You think that's going to work? Typhlosion, use Flamethrower! Maximum burn!' Typhlosion countered with a powerful tongue of flame aimed right at the attack. Fire met water and enveloped the battleground in steam.

'Now, Croconaw, use Bite while it's blinded!' Ash ordered. Croconaw charged through the cloud of steam, its jaws wide open.

'Don't let it, Typhlosion, Lava Plume, on the double!' Rook shouted. Typhlosion gave a roar, and the air was rent apart by a massive explosion, the shockwave blowing all the steam aside. Croconaw was sent tumbling backwards head over tail to land in front of Ash.

'Croconaw, are you alright?' Ash asked in concern. Croconaw struggled to its feet, but when it took a step forward, it winced visibly in pain. It turned around to look ruefully at Ash, and its trainer could see that it had a painful burn on its stomach.

Ash knew that this could be a problem if it dragged on for too long. 'Croconaw, into the water! It should be cooler in there.' Croconaw instantly made for the pool on the left side, wincing with every step it took.

'Get it, Typhlosion, and use Rollout!' Typhlosion leapt into the air, curled into a black ball and hurtled towards the water-type. Croconaw had managed to get one foot into the water right before Typhlosion barreled into it. Croconaw went flying, but it managed to land with a splash in the pool.

'Okay, Croconaw, underwater Water Gun, now!' From underwater, Croconaw unleashed powerful jets of water, streaking straight at Typhlosion.

'Don't make me laugh!' Rook scoffed. 'Typhlosion, Gyro Ball!' Typhlosion, still in its ball form, spun rapidly, its body glowing with a silver light. The water blasts bounced right off of Typhlosion's body, not doing a bit of damage.

Ash grunted. Long-range attacks weren't doing a bit of good, but Typhlosion was too strong to get up close. Even so, Ash didn't think he had a choice in the matter. 'Croconaw! Use Aqua Tail!'

Croconaw burst out of the pool, water rings swirling powerfully around its tail. As everyone watched, the water in the pool swirled up to join it, forming an even larger tornado of water. Croconaw bellowed and headed for Typhlosion, preparing to swing its tail.

'No chance! Typhlosion, Flame Wheel!' shouted Rook. Typhlosion uncurled and landed on all fours, its shoulder flames blazing to form a dome of fire over it once again. It charged for Croconaw right as it lashed its tail out. The two opposing elemental forces met in an explosive impact, but the Aqua Tail, powered up by all the water, enveloped the dome of fire and sweeping Typhlosion off to the side.

'Now, Ice Fang, now!' Ash shouted. Croconaw lunged for the washed-out Typhlosion, its jaw glowing with icy power. Its jaws gnashed onto its lower leg, enveloping it in chilling energy.

'Gah! Finish it, Typhlosion! Lava Plume!' yelled Rook. With one more deafening explosion of lava and smoke, Croconaw went flying backwards to sprawl in front of Ash, its eyes now swirlies.

'Croconaw, no!' shouted Ash, running to his valiant, but beaten Pokémon.

'Heh, looks like we've both gone down to the wire, and so are your friends!' Rook shouted, pressing another button, and the second-to-last cable snapped, leaving the cage dangling with just one steel cable over the pool, leaving Lyra and Khoury pinned to the bottom corner of the cage, unable to escape.

Ash didn't have to yell out anything else. 'If you're serious about killing your friends, Rook, then I'm serious about stopping you! Donphan, let's finish this!' In the last flash of the battle, the Armor Pokémon emerged ready for the last battle.

'Alright! Ash has the advantage here!' Iris exclaimed joyfully.

'That me be, but that Typhlosion is incredibly strong, even after all those battles,' said Cilan. 'I think this battle right now is anyone's guess.'

'Donphan, use Take Down, full speed ahead!' Ash ordered. An energy trail behind him, Donphan charged right for Typhlosion.

'Do you seriously have a death wish?' Rook snarled. 'That didn't work the first time, and it's not going to work now! Typhlosion, stop it!' Typhlosion reached out with both hands, ready to intercept it.

'Who said I was going for the direct approach?' Ash replied. 'Donphan, jump over it and then use Rollout backwards!' Right before Donphan hit, it made a powerful leap right through Typhlosion's clutching paws, right over its head, and in mid-air, curled into its treaded wheel form, and started rolling backwards. Striking the ground and screeching on the tiles, it shot backwards, slamming into Typhlosion's back and steamrolling it to the ground before it could react.

'Yeah, Donphan! Once more!' shouted Ash. Donphan skidded in a circle and came right back at Typhlosion.

Rook didn't flinch. 'How's this for some spin? Typhlosion, Gyro Ball!' Typhosion curled into a ball of its own and shot forward, its body glowing with silver light. The two spinning Pokémon slammed together with thunderous impact, both pushing violently at each other, but Typhlosion suddenly slowed, and Donphan broke right through, pummeling Typhlosion once again.

'What? What's going on?' cried Rook in confusion. Then he saw it. Typhlosion's leg was partially frozen from when Croconaw bit it with its Ice Fang attack. 'So, that's how it's going to work, eh? Fine. Typhlosion, show that oversized pachyderm your Flame Wheel!'

Typhlosion gave a bellow, its shoulder flames billowing out into its flaming shield, the ice on its leg disintegrating. As Donphan charged around for another pass, Typhlosion lashed out, slamming into Donphan's side and sending it skidding across the ground, stunned.

Rook sneered. 'Nice try with the ice, Ash, but you should know by now that it's useless against a Fire-type. Typhlosion, wrap this up. Show that Donphan how you really do a Rollout!' This time, Typhlosion curled into its ball and rolled forward with amazing power, straight at Donphan.

'Oh, no you don't! Donphan, Defense Curl!' Ash shouted. Right before impact, Donphan curled up into a ball and braced itself. Typhlosion crashed right into it, right into its armored front, but Donphan only skidded backwards a few paces, and only slightly rattled by the impact.

'Now! Hyper Beam!' Ash yelled. At close-range, Donphan opened its mouth and let loose with a blistering golden beam of pure energy, blasting Typhlosion backwards to sprawl in front of Rook.

Ash finally allowed himself a smile. 'Looks like this round goes to…' but his voice died off when he saw Typhlosion slowly get up, growling viciously, and fixing Ash and Donphan with an infuriated glare.

'Typhlosion's not going to give up that easily, and neither am I! I've got my orders, and you're going down!' shouted Rook angrily. 'And since Donphan can't move after that, it's going down! Typhlosion, finish it with Flamethrower!'

Typhlosion opened its mouth and unleashed a blast of fire from its mouth. Donphan, unable to move, could only stand there and take it as the flames washed over it, causing it to cry out in pain.

'Donphan, you've got to take it! Our friends are depending on us!' Ash shouted. Donphan could only close its eyes tightly and brace itself against the searing heat and pressure, as its powerful foe continued to push it back from the flames.

Both Cilan and Iris were anxiously watching the battle, holding their breath as they hoped Donphan could take the pressure. Suddenly, Iris glanced up at the cage and saw that the last metal cable holding the cage up was starting to fray. 'Ash!' she yelled. 'The cage is going to fall! Hurry!'

Ash glanced at the cage, and saw the cage swaying ominously, and Lyra and Khoury clutching at the cage bars in panic. 'This has got to stop now!' he shouted. 'Donphan!' Donphan's eyes flashed open, and with a bellow, started pushing hard against the flame, gaining ground with every step.

'Typhlosion! Flame Wheel! Shut it down!' Once more forming the flaming shield around it, Typhlosion dropped to all fours and charged, the flames from its mouth combining with its shield, turning it into a literal fireball that barreled right for Donphan. 'You can't beat this, Ketchum! This is the end for your friends!'

Suddenly, he caught sight of a glint in Ash's eye, and he froze. 'Oh, you think so, do you?' Ash said, with an odd tone in his voice, 'well, I'm going to save my friends, and you're not going to stop me! Donphan, Hyper Beam! One more time! Maximum Power!' Donphan gave one last bellow, and right before Typhlosion hit, fired one more Hyper Beam straight at it. It crashed against Typhlosion's flaming shield, and for a minute, it held. But the next moment, Typhlosion's flame barrier failed and it went flying backwards to sprawl once again in front of Rook, this time, out for the count.

'He did it!' cheered Iris, and Cilan echoed her joy. Donphan gave a bellow before slumping to the ground, exhausted.

Ash pumped his fist in the air. 'Yes! We did it, Donphan!' Then he turned to Rook. 'Alright, we beat you fair and square, now let our friends go!'

Rook didn't answer as he recalled his Typhlosion. 'Great work, buddy, you were amazing,' he said quietly. Turning a blank gaze onto Ash, he gave a curt nod. 'A deal's a deal.' Reaching for his remote, he pressed a few buttons, and the lone cable moved the cage over dry land, and then lowered slowly to the ground. Once it touched the ground, it clicked a few times, and then the bars on one side fell off, clattering to the ground.

'We're free!' cheered Lyra, hopping out of the cage. 'Thank goodness

Khoury fell to his knees outside the cage, feeling the floor. 'Finally, solid ground…'

'Glad you're alright,' said Ash, helping Khoury to his feet.

'Thanks for saving us, Ash, we owe you big time,' Khoury said. Lyra nodded vigorously in agreement. Then they remembered their friend. 'Oh, Ethan!' they turned to Ash's opponent, but he was already heading for a side door. 'Ethan! Where are you going?'

'I told you, my name is Rook!' snapped the boy angrily. 'My orders have failed, I must report back to the leaders. You may have beaten me, but you'll never get past the next guy, that I can assure you.' With that, he stalked through the door as it slid shut and locked with a clank.

'Ethan,' said Lyra quietly. 'What happened to you?' Then, she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Ash.

'Don't worry, Lyra, after I save my friends, I'll get your friend back. That I promise.'

Lyra and Khoury looked at their old friend thankfully. 'Thanks, Ash.'

'Wow, Ash, now I see why you got as far as you did in the Pokémon leagues,' said Cilan in amazement, as he and Iris hurried up to him. 'I must say, I've never seen you battle like that.

Lyra glanced at them. 'Ash, are these your new travelling partners?'

'Yeah, these two are Iris and Cilan. I'm travelling through the Unova Region with them,' Ash said, introducing his two companions. 'Iris, Cilan, this is Lyra and Khoury from the Johto Region. I met them when I was travelling through the Sinnoh Region.'

'Hi,' Iris said, 'I wish we could've met under better circumstances.'

'Us too,' said Khoury.

'Well, we can catch up with each other after we've gotten out of this,' Ash said. 'Come on, we've got friends to save.' With that, he turned around and headed for the door, his four new companions close behind.

* * *

><p>'Hmph, I thought that that Mr. Hunter could've put up a better fight than that,' scowled Maxie, watching the whole battle onscreen.<p>

'Patience, my friend,' said Phoebus, 'Mr. Ketchum has merely proven his competence once again. He has managed to pass the first round, but this challenge is just beginning. Mark my words, he'll never pass through all five of them.'

'Maxie, all of us know how this is going to end,' Giovanni said serenely. 'No matter how far Mr. Ketchum gets, he is going to lose everything in the very end.'

'True,' said Maxie, 'I just thought he would've at least made the battle drag out until the cable did fall, but I guess you can't get everything you want.'

'Really, Maxie?' chuckled Archie. 'I always knew you had low expectations.' While Maxie fumed at his counterpart, Archie pressed a button. 'Ketchum has passed the first round. Be ready.'

* * *

><p>I'll be posting the rest up soon, so please R&amp;R! And please, no flaming!<p> 


	8. Chapter 8 Knight and Day

**Friendship is Eternal**

**A/N: **Ash, Iris and Cilan find themselves pulled away from their journey at the request of one of their old friends. This starts them on a quest that brings back many old faces, a few new ones, and a challenge that Ash must overcome. Exactly what challenge is this? Well, you're just going to have to read to find out!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything Pokémon related whatsoever.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8: Knight and Day<strong>

As Ash and his friends re-entered the backstage room, Ash looked at the doors around him, trying to see the chess pieces above them. To his disappointment, the new one that was lit was the Knight piece.

'Looks like it's him, next,' he said.

'Ash, I don't understand. What's going on?' asked Lyra worriedly. 'What are we doing here? Why did Ethan turn on us?'

Ash turned to them. 'Long story short, all my friends over the 5 Pokémon regions were kidnapped, all to draw me out. The leaders of Teams Rocket, Magma, Aqua and Galactic all want revenge on me for foiling their plans, and sentenced my friends to death unless I beat these 5 trainers: the Checkmate Five.'

'You mean we were kidnapped just to get to you?' summarized Khoury.

'Yeah,' answered Ash apologetically. 'I'm sorry you all had to go through this for me. If I knew you'd be put in this kind of danger, I wouldn't have become your friend…'

'Stop right there, Ash,' Lyra interrupted sharply. 'Danger is a necessity for any Pokémon trainer. You didn't know that your actions would cause this. Kidnapping us was the fault of these bad guys, not you.'

'That's right, Ash,' added Khoury. 'You're our friend too, and if you were kidnapped to get to us, we would feel exactly the same way.'

Lyra, Iris and Cilan looked at Khoury. 'Uh, Khoury, I don't think that helped,' said Iris dryly.

'Anyway,' Ash said, 'How do you guys know Ethan anyhow?'

'He was a Johto trainer that started off the same time as us, but was a real prodigy,' answered Lyra. 'We met back up with him when we returned to Johto because he had headed off on his own journey to beat the Johto League. Last I remember, he made it, but didn't make the quarterfinals.'

'Hmm,' nodded Ash in thought. 'If that's how strong one of their members is, then I'm in for a real fight when I get to the end.' As he spoke, he returned to the ballroom and made for the wall that had held his Poké-balls.

'See you later, guys,' he said softly as he put his 6 Poké-balls into their slots. Nothing happened for a moment, then a panel slid across, blocking him off from the balls. At the same time, a panel below it slid open, revealing another set of 6 Poké-balls.

Ash glanced at them before scooping them up, wondering what sort of team he had this time. Scanning them with his Pokédex, he found a huge green-and-brown tortoise with a tree and mountains growing out of its back, a large gold-armored monkey with flaming hair, a huge vampire bat with scorpion-like claws and tail, a large black-and-white bird, an orange weasel with two tails and a yellow collar, and a small blue shark-like ball with arms, legs and a huge mouth.

'Torterra, Infernape, Gliscor, Staraptor, Buizel and Gible,' he said with a smile. 'It feels like forever since I used you guys.'

'Now it's an all-Sinnoh team,' said Cilan thoughtfully, 'What does all this mean?'

'Who knows?' shrugged Ash, heading for the door once again. 'Now come on. I've got friends to save.' The four nodded and headed after him.

Once backstage, they entered through the Knight-marked door. This door led to a flight of stairs that headed down. Ash thought they'd never reach the bottom, until the door opened and they beheld a new battle arena.

The room was as cavernous as the poolroom, with dozens of machines and tanks all hissing and steaming loudly. There was a large blank arena in the middle of the room with no machines, and standing at the other end was the beret-wearing trainer, Knight.

'Well, so you beat Rook?' he said, tilting his head. 'I must say I'm impressed. Not many people can have claimed to beat that upstart. But I have to say his style was a bit too…brutish… for my taste.'

'Hey, that's our friend you're talking about!' shouted Lyra indignantly.

'Alright, Knight, we're here. Now where's my friend?' Ash called to his opponent.

'Oh, she's right over there, enjoying the heat,' said Knight, jerking his head to one side of the room. Ash looked, and saw a conveyor belt that led to an opening in a machine, and Ash could see bright flames leaping up from inside the machine. On the conveyor belt were numerous piles of rubbish, and one trussed-up bluenette girl with a white hat over her hair, propped up against a garbage pile and staring in fright at the flames.

Ash's eyes widened. 'Dawn!' he shouted.

Dawn looked over. 'Ash!' she shouted, almost in hysterics. 'Lyra! Khoury! Get me out of here now!'

'Unfortunately, he can't,' said Knight solemnly. 'After all, every brave warrior needs a damsel to rescue before the dragon roasts her alive.' The flames in the furnace seemed to roar in acknowledgement.

'You're the Knight, here, isn't that your job?' asked Ash sarcastically.

'Ah, so the knave has a sense of humor!' Knight said, 'Well, Ketchum, I'm afraid that your quest is in vain. The lovely Dawn Berlitz will soon be human fuel for this ship, unless of course you beat me.'

'Lucas, snap out of it!' screamed Dawn. 'You've been brainwashed or something! I'm your friend! Dawn!'

Knight ignored her. 'Shall we begin our duel?' he asked, removing a Poké-ball from his backpack.

'Ready and willing,' answered Ash, grasping for his own Poké-ball. 'So what sort of battle do you want?'

'Double battles,' replied Knight, pulling out another Poké-ball, 'Six Pokémon each, three individual rounds, two Pokémon per round. No substitutions allowed. Once both of either team's Pokémon are unable to battle, we exchange both Pokémon for a new team. First to win two rounds wins outright. Also, last round, we battle until all of either side's Pokémon are unable to battle.'

'Wow,' said Khoury, 'that's a lot of rules. Ash, do you think you can handle it?'

'No trouble, Khoury,' responded Ash in a tone Khoury had never quite heard from him before. 'I can win any battle, especially with these sort of stakes.' He pulled out another Poké-ball. 'Okay, Knight, you first!'

'How gracious,' said Knight. 'Luxray, Gastrodon, I call for thee!' he threw out his two Poké-balls, which burst open to reveal his two battlers: a large aquamarine sea slug with a green shell and tufts on its head, and a blue lion-like Pokémon with black armor-like fur on its mane, forelegs and hindquarters, and a star-tipped tail.

'A Water-Ground hybrid and an Electric-type?' said Khoury. 'Nice combo. The guy obviously knows how to battle.'

'Can you compliment the guy's strategies after Ash beats him?' replied Lyra, smacking her friend lightly upside the head.

Ash cocked his head. 'So that's his game? Right, Torterra, Gible, let's go!' He pitched his Poké-balls into the air, which released his two Pokémon in flashes of blue light, a giant green tortoise with a huge tree and several mountains on its back, and a pint-sized land shark with an oversized mouth and red belly.

Knight raised one eyebrow. 'Interesting choices. This will certainly prove to be a battle worth remembering.'

'You got that right,' answered Ash. 'Torterra, Energy Ball on Gastrodon! Gible, Dragon Pulse on Luxray!' Torterra and Gible opened their mouths and orbs of green and aquamarine energy materialized. The next moment, they fired them straight at Knight's Pokémon.

'Hmph,' sniffed Knight. 'Luxray, dodge and Protect Gastrodon!' Luxray roared and leapt out of the way of the Dragon Pulse as it exploded against the ground, landed in front of Gastrodon, and generated a green force field around itself that took the Energy Ball without so much as flinching.

'Time to set the stage,' Knight said. 'Gastrodon, Rain Dance, now.' Gastrodon gave a cry, formed a ball of blue energy in its mouth, and released it towards the sky. When it reached the ceiling, it dissolved into black rain clouds that started a downpour in the room. Everyone was drenched in the rain.

'Uh-oh,' Ash muttered, glancing at Torterra. He knew that one of Torterra's defensive moves would be useless if this rain kept up. 'Gible, Dig! Torterra, Leaf Storm!'

Gible hit the metal ground, trying to get out of the way. Its sharp teeth and powerful jaws made short work of the metal, biting through the metal floor and disappearing into a sub-level. At the same time, Torterra's tree started to glow, and a tornado full of glowing leaves exploded out of it, straight at the opposing Pokémon. The two of them winced as the powerful storm of leaves pounded against them, Gastrodon visibly weakened by the onslaught.

'Now, Gible, Dig on Luxray!' Ash shouted, as Torterra's storm ceased.

'No chance! Protect!' called Knight. As Gible burst out of the ground, jaws open to crash against the Gleam Eyes Pokémon, Luxray focused and generated its green force field again, causing Gible to just bounce off.

'Now, Gastrodon, Surf!' yelled Knight. Gastrodon's eyes glowed blue, and a powerful tidal wave burst out from under it, swelling as the rain drew into it and covering the whole field. Gible squawked as the wave washed over Luxray, still protected by its barrier, and swept Gible up, thrusting it back towards its partner. Torterra groaned as the wave pounded against its body and Gible struck its tree, and held on for dear life.

'Wow, that's some combo,' said Cilan. 'He used Luxray's Protect to not only guard against an attack, but also to guard itself against its opponent's wide-area attacks as well!'

'Yeah,' agreed Khoury. 'Ash has got his work cut out for him.' The next moment, both found themselves flat against the ground as Lyra and Iris whacked them over the heads.

'Hey!' the two girls shouted. 'Whose side are you on?'

'And now that everyone's good and wet, prepare for the shocker! Luxray, charge up a Discharge!' Luxray growled and its body started to sizzle with electrical energy.

'Huh?' Ash said, confused by Knight's decision. Torterra and Gible were both part Ground-type, so an Electric attack wouldn't do anything to them. 'What good's that going to do you?'

'Nothing, until I say, "Gastrodon, Soak 'em!"' Knight called out. Gastrodon's whole blue body swelled like a balloon, and then it let loose with a burst of watery energy right at Torterra and Gible. The blast hit them square on, and when it died, neither Pokémon looked very much damaged at all.

'Huh? What's Soak?' Lyra asked in confusion.

Cilan's eyes widened in realization. Looking at Ash's two Pokémon, he could see that their bodies had taken on an odd, bluish tint, turning Torterra's body an odd aquamarine colour, and Gible's belly purplish instead of red. 'It's a move that changes the target's typing to Water! Gible and Torterra are now pure Water-types!'

Everyone, including Ash, gasped at the realization. Knight smirked. 'Right you are, Mr. Gardner. Which makes it that much easier to do this! Luxray, let it rip!' Luxray gave a howl, and blue bolts of electricity arced in all directions off its form. Torterra and Gible cried out in agony as the lightning electrocuted their now-water-based bodies. Gastrodon sat there watching, the bolts just bouncing off its body.

When Luxray's attack finally ceased, both of Ash's Pokémon lay there quivering, still trying to recover from the pain of the attack. Both of them groaned as they tried to haul themselves to their feet.

'Hm, still got a little fight in you?' Knight observed. 'Well, allow me to finish it. Luxray, Thunder Fang! Gastrodon, Body Slam!' Luxray charged for its opponents, its mouth wide open and its fangs crackling with electricity, and Gastrodon surged forward, ready to flatten its opponents with its bulk.

Knight chuckled, thinking this match was in the bag, but he stopped when he looked up, and saw an odd glint in his opponent's eye.

'You think this is over? Not a chance! Gible! Torterra! Let's go!'

Ash's Pokémon, roused by their trainer's yell, rose slowly to their feet, facing their opponents dead-on. Torterra let out a bellow that said it wasn't going to give up, and Gible, standing on Torterra's shell, gave the same cry. Then, Gible's eyes started to glow a bright bronze colour, and then the ground around the approaching Luxray and Gastrodon started to ripple and surge, stopping them cold. Then, a powerful tornado of sand sprung up around them, and when it faded a second later, both Luxray and Gastrodon were stuck up to their necks in large dunes of sand.

'What the-,' Ash exclaimed in surprise and excitement. 'Gible, that was Sand Tomb! Awesome!' Gible bounced up and down in excitement.

'Now's our chance! Torterra, Rock Climb, now!' Torterra reared up, Gible clutching to its shell, and stomped powerfully on the ground. Ash was prepared for the huge spires of rock to shoot out of the ground when Torterra used that move, but instead the ground quaked violently, causing everything to shake and tremble. The metal floor fissured as shockwaves erupted from Torterra's feet, striking Luxray and Gastrodon and throwing them out of the sand.

'And that was Earthquake!' Ash shouted, almost in fits of excitement. 'Alright!'

'Wow!' Khoury exclaimed. 'That's some willpower Ash's Pokémon has got there.'

'Well, you know what they say, Khoury,' Lyra said, 'Like trainer, like Pokémon.'

'So your Pokémon know a few Ground-moves; that's not going to save you,' snarled Knight. 'Gastrodon, rapid-fire Mud Bomb! Luxray, Crunch that Gible now!' Gastrodon reared its head, opened its mouth, and started firing brown globs of mud at the two Pokémon, while Luxray leapt forward to bite at Gible.

'No chance, Knight!' Ash shouted. 'Torterra, give it the real Rock Climb!' Torterra reared up again, and its claws started to glow white and lengthen. Then it stomped hard on the metal ground, and the next moment, the metal sheared as craggy rocks sprouted out of the ground like daisies. The mud burst against the sides of the rocks as Luxray rose into the air, trapped on the top of one of the rocks. Torterra, with its partner riding on its back, charged up the side of the rock, the white claws digging into the stone.

'Now, Gible, Rock Smash!' Ash ordered. Right as Torterra approached Luxray, who was disoriented by the sudden change in terrain, Gible leapt off the shell, its fist glowing bronze. With a cry, it lashed its fist down and cracked Luxray powerfully over the head, a minute before Torterra slammed into it skull-first, sending it flying off the rock spire. It crashed to the ground in front of Knight, out cold.

'Yes!' cheered Iris. 'One down and one to go!'

Knight growled as he recalled Luxray. 'Don't worry, my friend, the day will still be won for you!' Glaring at Ash, he said, 'You're going to pay for that. Gastrodon, wash those two out of the game! Surf, full power!' Once again, a tidal wave of water gushed out from under the Sea Slug Pokémon, surging over the rocks and splashing violently into Gible and Torterra. Torterra gamely held its ground under the onslaught, but Gible couldn't take the remaining strain and was finally flung backwards by the wave towards Ash. Ash quickly leapt and caught his Pokémon, who lay there in his arms, out like a light.

'Gible, are you okay?' he asked worriedly. Gible gave a weak cry in response, making Ash smile in relief.

'Heh, looks like that's one win for me,' Knight said smugly. 'And just to keep score…' he reached out and pressed a button near his foot. The next moment, the conveyor belt roared to life and started to move, moving the trash and the girl that was on it towards the open inferno. Dawn shrieked in terror as she witnessed a few piles of trash fall into the furnace and be incinerated in a matter of seconds. She travelled for a meter or two before the conveyor belt stopped.

'I think you've figured out my little game,' chuckled Knight. 'For every Pokémon you lose, Ms. Berlitz takes one more step to a fiery doom.'

Ash growled, recalling Gible. 'I thought you might pull something like that after Rook's stunt. Fine, Torterra, let's win this.' Torterra growled in affirmation, standing powerfully on top of the spire. 'Alright, Energy Ball!' A ball of power started to form in front of Torterra's open mouth.

'Gastrodon, Mud Bomb!' called Knight. Once more, Gastrodon spat out a barrage of mud globs straight for the Continent Pokémon, who stood there charging up his attack.

Ash grinned. 'Right! Torterra, gulp it down and power up!' As soon as the Energy Ball was fully charged, Torterra opened wide and chomped down, swallowing the ball of nature-energy. Instantly, its eyes took on a bright green shine and the tree on its back started to glow. In fact, its whole body started to glow with green power until it returned to its original green, brown and gray color scheme, the effects of the Soak neutralized. The Mud Bomb attack pounded hard into Torterra's face, but it just shrugged it off.

'Huh?' Knight exclaimed, eyes wide. Evidently he hadn't been expecting that.

'Wow!' exclaimed Cilan. 'He used Energy Ball to power up Torterra instead of attacking! Truly a unique recipe that has developed an amazing flavor!'

'Game over, Knight,' said Ash. 'Torterra, Leaf Storm, full blast!' Torterra gave a titanic bellow, its tree grew even brighter, and a blizzard of glowing leaves rushed out and battered against Gastrodon. The Sea Slug Pokémon gamely held on for all it was worth, but in the end it was sent flying by the supercharged attack. Gastrodon landed with a wet-sounding splat in front of Knight, a dazed look on its face.

'Yes!' cheered Iris and Lyra. 'They did it!'

Knight's expression was neutral as he recalled Gastrodon. 'I apologize, my comrade. You fought bravely. But mark my words, this war isn't over!' Looking at Ash, he said, 'Well, you certainly are more of a challenge than I expected, but I will prevail in the end.

Dawn looked worried. 'Lucas, what happened to you?' she said.

'Don't worry, Dawn, by this battle's end, you'll get your friend back,' Ash called out to her. 'I promise you that!'

Knight stared at him. 'You really shouldn't make promises you can't keep, Ketchum. The warrior known as Lucas Brand is but a memory, and only I, Knight, remains. Now, let's carry on with this duel!'

* * *

><p>I'll be posting the rest up soon, so please R&amp;R! And please, no flaming!<p> 


	9. Chapter 9 Fire and Water

**Friendship is Eternal**

**A/N: **Ash, Iris and Cilan find themselves pulled away from their journey at the request of one of their old friends. This starts them on a quest that brings back many old faces, a few new ones, and a challenge that Ash must overcome. Exactly what challenge is this? Well, you're just going to have to read to find out!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything Pokémon related whatsoever.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9: Fire and Water<strong>

'Magmortar, Bronzong, I call for thee!' shouted Knight, tossing out two more Poké-balls. With another flash of light, a huge humanoid Pokémon with yellow cannon-like arms, flaming head and shoulders, and skin that resembled living fire, and a blue-grey, floating church bell hanging from a metal yoke with red eyes and a mouth appeared in front of their trainer, prepared for another fight.

Ash thought fast. _I know whom I can use against this Fire-type, but I don't want to use my ace just yet. Besides, if I do send him out, it'll get flattened. But if I'm going to have a chance of beating this guy, that Bronzong's gotta go!_

'Buizel, Staraptor, let's go!' he shouted, throwing his second team out into the field. Another flash of light flared out, only to dim to reveal a huge black-and-white bird with vicious talons and a red crest, and an orange, two-tailed weasel wearing a yellow floatation collar.

'Hmph,' snorted Knight. 'A type advantage is all well and good, but pointless if said type advantage is nothing more than a pup!'

Buizel visibly growled at that, his trainer equally ticked off. 'Hey! Watch the name-calling, Knight! Buizel's got power to spare! Let's go, Water Pulse!' With a cry, Buizel put its paws together, generated a glowing orb of water in between them, and then hurled it powerfully at the two opposing Pokémon.

Knight gave another snort in derision, even as the ball morphed into a powerful wave of water that rushed towards his battlers. 'Bronzong, intercept with Gyro Ball.' Bronzong floated in between the attack and its target, the ends of its yoke glowing silver, and spun around powerfully, breaking through the wave and leaving it and its partner unharmed.

'Now, Magmortar, initiate the Flame Burst barrage!' called Knight. Magmortar grunted in response, planted its feet, and raised its yellow arms, the white claws on the end retracting to reveal the hollow muzzles inside its arms. Then, huge balls of fire erupted from the arm-cannons, streaking towards the two Pokémon.

'Dodge, now!' yelled Ash. Staraptor shrieked and took to the air, Buizel leaping aside to avoid the attacks. Ash winced as the fire bombs exploded all around him. But Magmortar didn't let up, keeping up with a powerful barrage of Flame Burst attacks that followed the Pokémon as they tried to evade them.

'We've got to stop it! Staraptor, Quick Attack!' Staraptor folded its wings and dove, twisting and turning around the blasts of flame to shoot towards Magmortar, beak-first.

'Bronzong, block with Iron Defense!' shouted Knight. An instant before impact, Bronzong floated in between the two Pokémon, its skin shining with a silvery aura. Staraptor rammed into the Bronze Bell Pokémon hard, but barely left a dent on Bronzong's extreme defense.

'Now, Magmortar, Thunderpunch!' Bronzong floated out of the way as Magmortar shut off its barrage for a moment, lunged forward, its left cannon arm now tipped with crackling electrical energy. It smashed the Predator Pokémon with a powerful hit, knocking it backwards to land sprawling in front of Buizel.

'Staraptor, no!' cried Ash. Buizel looked at its partner in worry, as Staraptor slowly pushed itself up and let out a weak cry.

'Talk about an even blend of savory and sweet,' mused Cilan. As Lyra, Khoury and Iris looked at him strangely, he elaborated, 'With Magmortar's overwhelming offensive power and Bronzong's powerful defensive power, Ash and his Pokémon are going to have to pull out a killer strategy to even stand a chance!'

'Magmortar, Flamethrower,' ordered Knight. Magmortar growled, raising its cannon arms and blasting out two long tongues of flame right at Staraptor.

'Buizel, Water Gun counter shield, now!' Ash ordered. Buizel leapt onto its back and started spinning like a breakdancer, all the while spewing water from its mouth. The water separated out into a spiraling cone of water streams that intercepted the Flamethrower attack, causing both to erupt in a cloud of steam that covered the whole battlefield.

Knight blinked.

'Now Staraptor! Use Aerial Ace on Bronzong! Buizel, Aqua Jet on Magmortar!' Ash shouted, taking full advantage of the situation. Using the steam cloud as cover, Staraptor leapt back into the air, did a loop in mid air, and shot forward with an air ram over its head at Bronzong, as Buizel engulfed its body in water and blasted at Magmortar.

'Magmortar, Bronzong, stop them with Flamethrower and Psyshock!' Knight ordered. Magmortar re-angled its cannon arms to aim at the silhouettes of its targets as they swooped through the cloud, and purple and blue globs of psychic power formed at the ends of Bronzong's yoke, as it prepared to fire them at their targets.

'Both of you, switch targets!' called Ash. Instantly, both Staraptor and Buizel changed direction and dove for the other targets. Magmortar unleashed its flames in two directions after both targets, but Staraptor swerved around the blast and struck Magmortar in the shoulder with its beak at high speeds, knocking its other blast off course. At the same time, as Bronzong fired the Psyshock blobs, Buizel dodged around all of them and slammed into Bronzong with the water ram over its head, forcing it backwards into just the right position. As a result, Magmortar's awry Flamethrower attack struck Bronzong dead-on, knocking it right to the ground.

'Bronzong!' cried Knight in dismay.

'Your Pokémon may have the strength, Knight, but they don't have the speed to match!' Ash called out. 'Staraptor, time for Close Combat! Buizel, keep Magmortar busy with Sonicboom!'

Staraptor charged towards the downed Bronzong and started hammering it with its beak, talons and wings, beating it back furiously. Buizel leapt into the air and spun around, sonic blades bursting off its tail and thudding into Magmortar, keeping it too off-balance to counterattack.

'Yes! Even if Knight's Pokémon are more powerful, they're too slow to keep up with Ash's own Pokémon!' cried Lyra excitedly.

'That may be,' replied Khoury cautiously, 'but unless Ash can find a way around Bronzong's defense, all he's doing is wasting his Pokémon's energy.' His friend shot him a dark look that said, 'Stop ruining my moment.'

Ash grinned as Staraptor kept up the assault, but the grin froze on his face when Knight gave an even more menacing grin. 'Are you quite done? Bronzong, Extrasensory!' Seemingly unperturbed by the onslaught, Bronzong's eyes glowed a gold color, and a burst of light erupted from the front of its bell, catching Staraptor and blowing it into the air.

'Now, Flash Cannon!' ordered Knight. Bronzong tilted on its side, pointing the opening of its bell right at the tumbling bird. Then, the inside started to glow with a bright white color as the attack started to charge up.

'Oh boy,' murmured Ash. 'We've got to stop it before it fires! Staraptor, Brave Bird!' Staraptor flexed its wings and straightened out, then went into a dive towards Bronzong, its body erupting in a wreath of flames. Then, the flames burst into an aura of blue energy as it charged towards its target; at the same time that Bronzong released the Flash Cannon. Ash gritted his teeth as the two blasts charged towards each other.

However, he was interrupted by Knight's shout, 'Magmortar, blast it out of the sky! Flame Burst!'

'Oh no! Buizel, Water Gun!' As Magmortar leapt away from Buizel's last Sonicboom attack, it aimed its arm cannon and unleashed another rapid-fire salvo of fireballs right at Staraptor. Quickly, Buizel started firing blasts of water from its mouth, extinguishing and skeet-shooting the balls right out of the sky as fast as it could.

'Magmortar, double burst!' Magmortar raised its other arm and let loose with more bursts of flame at Buizel, who quickly leapt out of the way, all the while blasting away at the fireballs aimed at Staraptor. But distracted by the onslaught against itself, it wasn't quite fast enough and one of them shot through to explode right against Staraptor.

'No, Staraptor!' yelled Ash in panic as the Predator Pokémon faltered in its dive, and the next second, it was enveloped by the energy burst that sent it flying into the air. A moment later, it crash-landed in front of Ash, out like a light.

'So easily you fall,' said Knight, 'and again, Ms. Berlitz takes another step towards death.' With another push of the button on the floor, the conveyor belt started off again, Dawn moving even closer to the inferno. 'Four more, and your dear friend is history.'

'Ash!' shrieked Dawn in a panic. 'You'd better win or I'll haunt you for the rest of your life!'

'You don't think I know that?' Ash shouted back. 'I know the stakes, Dawn. Just have faith in me!' Dawn blinked at Ash's seriousness.

'Sorry, Staraptor, you did great,' Ash said, recalling his Pokémon. 'Buizel, let's win this!' Ash said determinedly. His remaining Pokémon gave a cry, knowing he wasn't going to give up any time soon, even against both Pokémon.

Ash thought fast. _There's no way I can match those two Pokémon blow for blow, so I'll have to outspeed the two of them._ 'Buizel, Aqua Jet on Bronzong, now!' Buizel gave a cry and torpedoed out towards Bronzong.

'If you're going with speed, then I think it's time to slow you down,' Knight said. 'Magmortar, Rock Tomb!' Magmortar growled, and aimed one of its cannons at the ground, firing a pink orb into it. The next moment, huge craggy rocks erupted out of the metal floor in Buizel's path. Buizel swerved around the rocks as best as it could, trying to avoid crashing into them.

'Now, Bronzong, Gyro Ball!' ordered Knight. Again, Bronzong's yoke glowed and it went into a spin, charging towards Buizel. The two Pokémon rammed into each other, but Buizel was sent flying back by the spinning to crash into one of the rocks, and slid down to the ground, dazed and badly injured.

'Buizel, no!' yelled Ash.

'Not good,' said Cilan. 'Gyro Ball gets more powerful the slower the user is in comparison to the target, so the very fact that Buizel's so fast is working against him!'

'And against these two, speed is the only thing Buizel has!' Iris exclaimed. 'Now what's Ash going to do?'

'Come on, think,' Ash urged himself. 'There's got to be away out of this!' Buizel struggled slowly to its feet, and growled, its two tails twitching. Suddenly, it's body started to glow brightly and it let out a loud cry as the light enveloped its whole body. Everyone stared in amazement as Buizel's silhouette in the light started to grow taller and taller.

When it faded, a taller, more muscular orange-and-beige weasel Pokémon stood in Buizel's place. Every aspect of it was larger, from its head crest, its arm fins, to its two tails. Its floatation ring now encircled its whole body and was the size of an inflatable raft. It let out an even louder bellow.

'Floatzel!' exclaimed Iris and Lyra. 'Buizel evolved into Floatzel!'

Staring at his new Pokémon, Ash got a brainwave. 'That's it!' he whispered to himself.

'Alright, you two, Flash Cannon and Flamethrower. End this game!' said Knight. Instantly, Bronzong and Magmortar let loose with dual beams of silver energy and flame aimed right at Floatzel.

'Floatzel, use Aqua Jet and then Water Gun counter shield in mid-air!' Ash shouted. Floatzel quickly blasted off like a rocket, the two blasts missing instantly. Stopping right before it reached the ceiling, Floatzel spun around, spewing water from its mouth and spreading the water from its mouth all over the room. In seconds, a shower of water covered the room, making it seem like it was raining.

Dawn squealed as she was soaked. 'Ash! Watch the hair!'

'What's Ash planning?' Iris wondered. 'Is he trying to weaken Magmortar or something?'

Cilan and Khoury looked perplexed and the two exchanged glances. 'You think Ash is trying to activate Floatzel's ability?' asked Khoury.

'But that's counterintuitive,' responded Cilan. 'Floatzel's Swift Swim ability speeds it up in rain, but that would only make Bronzong's Gyro Ball attack more powerful against it.'

'Then what is Ash trying to do?'

Ash grinned. 'Now, Aqua Jet, full power!' Floatzel enveloped itself in water once again and sped towards the two Pokémon, its form almost a blur as the rain accelerated its body.

'So he wants to go out with a bang, eh?' Knight said, 'then I should oblige him. Bronzong, Gyro Ball again!' Once more, Bronzong charged towards Floatzel, spinning like a top.

Ash grinned. 'Who said I was aiming for Bronzong? Floatzel, use Water Pulse on Magmortar! Full speed!' Whirling, Floatzel changed direction and accelerated out of Bronzong's way straight towards it partner. As it moved, a blue orb appeared between its paws and it held it out in front of it as it reached its target. With a bang, Floatzel rammed ball-first into Magmortar's belly, the ball exploding in a burst of water that blew Magmortar backwards.

'Magmortar! Flamethrower!' shouted Knight. Magmortar staggered to a halt and then aimed its cannon arms, but too late, Knight noticed stars swirling around its head and a dazed, star-eyed look in its eyes. Magmortar released its attack, but instead of aiming at Floatzel, it aimed it right at its partner! Bronzong cried out as its body was scorched by the fire blast.

'I figured right!' Ash said with a grin. 'The only thing powerful enough to get through Bronzong's defense would be your Magmortar's overwhelming offense. So, I figured confusing it would be my best bet!'

Knight gritted his teeth. 'This kid's a better strategist than I thought. Bronzong, Gyro Ball, one more time!' Steadying itself, Bronzong spun towards Floatzel, the flames from its partner deflecting right off its whirling body.

'So you like my combos, Knight?' Ash called out. 'Then how about this one? Floatzel, one more Aqua Jet!' Floatzel took off for Bronzong again, another water ram over its head.

Knight snorted at the frontal attack, but this time it was his turn to notice the grin on Ash's face. 'Now, dodge and use Ice Punch!' A moment before impact, Floatzel changed direction and shot straight up, arcing over Bronzong's charge and shooting down like a bullet. It held its paw out, flaring with icy energy, and the next moment, Buizel was encased in a shell of ice tipped with an icy head. It crashed into Bronzong from the top, completely avoiding Bronzong's spinning, and forced it downwards into the metal ground with a loud crash.

'Bronzong!' cried Knight, as Floatzel leapt off to show Bronzong, flattened into the ground, encrusted with ice, and out like a light.

Ash allowed himself a smile. 'That's one down, and one more to go. I'm getting my friend back!'

Knight sighed as he recalled his downed Pokémon. 'Do not fret, my friend, you did your best.' Looking at Floatzel, he said grimly, 'Evolved or not, type advantage or not, you will fall! Magmortar, Thunderpunch!' Still a bit dazed, Magmortar staggered forward, its fists crackling with electrical energy.

'Floatzel, Water Gun!' shouted Ash. Floatzel growled and expelled another huge blast of water, but this time, the water was steaming furiously, and sprayed against Magmortar, covering it in a larger cloud of steam.

'What the – was that Scald?' said Iris. 'Talk about the wrong move at the wrong time!'

Magmortar staggered back, shaking its head from the attack, but when it opened its eyes, its gaze was focused once again. Knight grinned. 'Looks like the boot's on the other foot now,' he said. 'Magmortar, Flame Burst!'

'Dodge and counter with Sonicboom!' Ash ordered. Magmortar unleashed another barrage of fireballs that steamed in the water spray. Floatzel dodged with ease, and instead retaliated with wind blades shot from its arm fins that cut the fireballs out of the air.

'Wow! That was Razor Wind!' exclaimed Lyra.

Knight's eyes narrowed. 'Time to heat things up. Magmortar, Heat Wave!' Magmortar gave a bellow, and the fireballs ceased, replaced by a wave of searing heat that radiated throughout the room. The rainfall evaporated away, and Floatzel winced as the heat struck it, forcing it to one knee.

'Now, Rock Tomb!' said Knight. Magmortar again fired another pink orb, that sent more rocks erupting from the ground. This time, the rocks sprouted out of the ground in a circle around Floatzel, effectively trapping it.

'Use Aqua Jet to get out!' Ash called. Once more, Floatzel blasted off into the air on a trail of water out of the ring of rocks.

'No chance, now, Ketchum!' shouted Knight. 'Magmortar, take off with Flamethrower, and use Thunderpunch!' Aiming one arm towards the ground, Magmortar launched another blast of fire at the ground, and propelled it off the ground like a booster rocket. Before Ash could respond to Magmortar's surprising move, it lashed out its other electrically charged fist, and drove it right into Floatzel's head, stopping it cold in mid-air.

'Floatzel!' yelled Ash.

'Floatzel!' echoed his friends.

'And so the duel ends!' Knight announced. 'Flamethrower!' With a final burst of flame from its opponent's hand, Floatzel was sent flying to the ground, where he hit with a painful crash, its eyes now swirls.

'One more to me!' said Knight, prodding the button, and Dawn yelled as she was dragged towards the flaming opening once more. 'And so ends the second round, Ketchum. One more round to go! Think you can take it?'

Ash didn't respond as he recalled Floatzel, apologizing to it. Then he just stared at his adversary with a glint in his eye. 'Can I take it?' he said darkly. 'You just wait and see!'

* * *

><p>I'll be posting the rest up soon, so please R&amp;R! And please, no flaming!<p> 


	10. Chapter 10 Bastion

**Friendship is Eternal**

**A/N: **Ash, Iris and Cilan find themselves pulled away from their journey at the request of one of their old friends. This starts them on a quest that brings back many old faces, a few new ones, and a challenge that Ash must overcome. Exactly what challenge is this? Well, you're just going to have to read to find out!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything Pokémon related whatsoever.

P.S. I hate Exam season.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10: Bastion<strong>

'Oh, I'll see all right, like right now! Torterra, Drifblim, I call for thee!' shouted Knight, throwing out his last two Poké-balls. With another burst of light, a large purple Pokémon resembling a purple hot-air balloon with a white cloud on the top, four waving yellow-tipped appendages along the sides, and a yellow cross in between two red eye-like dots appeared, floating in mid-air. Beneath it, there materialized another Torterra like Ash's, but the green of its leaves and shell back was the lighter color of lichen as opposed to the fresher green of a forest, and the brown of its legs and tree trunk was replaced a light olive color. Moreover, its eyes held the weathered expression of a battling veteran.

'Whoa, he has a Shiny Torterra!' gasped Khoury, staring in amazement at the differently colored Pokémon. 'It must be well-trained if it's that special!'

Ash swallowed. 'It's a lot more special than that. From the looks of it, that's his starter.'

'You got that right,' smirked Knight. 'Torterra here is my foremost battler, my partner, and my friend. This battle here's as good as won.'

Ash took a deep breath to steel himself. 'Then it's a good thing I kept this guy for last,' he replied, gripping his remaining two Poke-balls just a little tighter. 'Gliscor, Infernape, I choose you!' With two more flashes of light, a giant grey-purple vampire bat with scorpion-like pincers and balancing on a large, muscular segmented tail, and a large, muscular monkey with white and gold armor on its brown-furred torso, wrists, shins and head, with was topped with a crown of blazing fire.

Knight's eyes narrowed at Infernape. 'So that's what he took out Bronzong for,' he muttered.

Gliscor bounced excitedly up and down on its tail, sticking out its tongue and chattering loudly. 'Calm down, Gliscor!' Ash called. 'I'm glad to see you too, but we've got friends to save!'

Knight flexed his neck. 'So be it. Drifblim, Acrobatics on Infernape! Torterra, Seed Bomb on Gliscor!' Drifblim launched itself at Infernape, prepared to batter it into submission, as Torterra opened its mouth and fired glowing white seeds at Gliscor.

'Infernape, Flamethrower! Gliscor, Stone Edge!' Ash shouted. Gliscor boosted itself into the air, and razor-sharp rock shards formed around its body, orbiting in two circles. Then, it swept its claws forward, and the rocks flew like arrows at Drifblim, battering into it and knocking it to one side. At the same time, Infernape ducked out of the way, and breathed out a blast of flame at Torterra's attack, the intense fire incinerating the seeds.

'Gliscor, X-Scissor on Torterra!' ordered Ash. The Fang Scorp Pokémon folded its black, leathery wings and dove at the Shiny Pokémon, its pincer claws glowing white with power as it drew them back.

Knight snorted. 'Show 'em your power, Torterra,' he said. Torterra grunted and planted its feet, preparing to take its attack head-on. Gliscor slashed its claws down in an X, slamming them hard into Torterra's shell, but the giant Pokémon didn't even flinch.

'What the-' Ash gaped. 'What a defense!'

'Now, Leech Seed!' Knight ordered. Torterra grunted and its tree shook, releasing dozens of seeds that flew out of the branches. As the seeds landed on Gliscor, they dug into its skin and sprouted long vines that tangled up around it. The next moment, Gliscor's body flashed red and it groaned in pain as its energy was siphoned out of it back into Torterra.

'Gliscor!' Ash shouted, watching his Pokémon in pain. 'Infernape, Mach Punch and get Gliscor out of there!' Infernape gave a cry and shot forward, its fist brimming with power. It reached its target in a heartbeat and power-punched Torterra's head. While Torterra was clearing its head from the attack, Infernape grabbed its partner and dragged it out of range.

'No getting away!' called Knight, 'Drifblim, Hypnosis!' Drifblim puffed itself up and swooped down, the cross on its body glowing bright yellow. The next moment, several yellow rings flashed out of the cross right at Infernape. Before Infernape could react, the rings crashed into it, sending it toppling to the ground, fast asleep.

'Infernape, no!' Ash yelled. Gliscor, landing next to Infernape, cried at its partner, trying to wake it up, only to scream in pain as more of its power was drained away.

'Now to take you out! Drifblim, Hex 'em!' Knight shouted. A slit opened in Drifblim's balloon-like face in between its two red eyes, and then it opened like an eyelid to reveal a gigantic eye with a glaring red iris and indigo sclera. Then, a stream of light and dark blue and magenta rings blazed from the eye, striking Infernape and Gliscor over and over. Gliscor howled in pain, even as Infernape winced in its sleep at the attack.

'Oh no! It's like when Trip's Frillish used it on Snivy!' exclaimed Iris in horror. 'Because Infernape is asleep, Hex is causing even more damage!'

Ash breathed faster, trying to come up with another plan. _Come on! I've got to get rid of that Drifblim!_ _Infernape is helpless against it while it's asleep, and Torterra is going to be even worse if I have to bring it out. That means it's all up to Gliscor…_

'Torterra!' Knight's voice snapped Ash out of his reverie. 'If our opponent can't do anything right now, use Wood Hammer and flatten them!' The Shiny Torterra bellowed out, rising up on its hind legs and barreling towards the two downed Pokémon. When it reached its target, it twisted, preparing to flatten them with the tree on its back, which was now glowing bright turquoise.

Ash winced, preparing for the worst, but he suddenly caught sight of Gliscor looking straight at him, a determined glint in its eye. Then it came to him.

'That's it! Gliscor, grab Infernape and take to the air!' Gliscor nodded, snatched Infernape in its pincers, and then coiled its tail under it and shot it out, bouncing both Pokémon into the air right before Torterra brought the tree down, denting the metal surface underfoot.

'Now, use Fire Fang on Infernape!' Ash ordered. Gliscor nodded, understanding, and opened its jaw, flames billowing inside its mouth. With a chomp, it bit down hard on Infernape's shoulder, the shock of the flames waking its partner up with a start.

'Alright, it worked!' Ash shouted in excitement. 'Now, Gliscor, throw Infernape at Drifblim, and Infernape, use Flare Blitz!' Before Knight could catch up with Ash's idea, Gliscor twisted its body and hurled Infernape right at Drifblim. In mid-air, Infernape's body flared with fiery energy and it gave a roar as its body was engulfed with searing blue flames.

'Oh no, you don't!' snapped Knight. 'Drifblim, blow that candle out with Ominous Wind!' Drifblim's body swelled up as it prepared to release a truly powerful attack.

'No chance! Infernape, spin and use the Counter Shield!' Ash called out. In mid-air, Infernape started twisting its body like a drill, whips of blue flame flying off its body and lashing in all directions. Torterra grunted as the whips flailed its body, while Gliscor, directly behind its partner, stayed out of the worst of the attacks. Drifblim expelled a powerful gale of dark-tinted wind, but the spinning, fiery comet just ploughed through the onslaught, Infernape rocketing straight towards the Blimp Pokémon.

'No, Drifblim!' yelled Knight as Infernape collided with the Ghost-and-Flying hybrid with a bang. A huge cloud of black smoke billowed out from the impact, and Drifblim came plummeting down out of it to land with a thud on the ground, out like a light.

'Yes!' cried Iris. 'He did it! One more to go!'

'Fine job, my friend.' Knight said as he recalled Drifblim. 'Ms. Ryuden, how soon we forget; it's the final round, so I can replace my Pokémon again! Magmortar, I call for thee once more!' In another flash of light, his Magmortar reappeared on the field, looking somewhat the worse for wear, but nowhere near collapsing.

Gliscor stared down at its new foe, but suddenly, it faltered as the Leech Seed drained more of its energy. Becoming weaker by the moment, it sank lower and lower. Torterra glanced up as its foe started drifting into its target range.

Knight wasn't about to let this opportunity go to waste. 'Torterra, use Razor Leaf! Cut it out of the sky!'

Ash knew Gliscor wasn't strong enough to handle this attack, but he also knew Gliscor would never go out without a fight, not when so much was at stake. 'Gliscor, fuse Giga Impact with Fire Fang and use it on Torterra!'

Gathering its dwindling strength, Gliscor folded its wings and dove right at the Continent Pokémon, energy coalescing into a purple-and-gold whirling shield over its body. At the same time, it opened its mouth and ignited, its throat and teeth flickering with fire. With a roar, Torterra unleashed a blizzard of spinning razor-edged leaves straight at the oncoming Fang Scorp Pokémon. The leaves ricocheted off Gliscor's energy barrier and burned up in the flames from its mouth, but enough got through to deliver painful gashes on its head and exoskeleton.

Ash gritted his teeth as he watched his Pokémon bear through the onslaught, but suddenly he heard Knight yell, 'Flame Burst, Magmortar! Now!'

Visions of Staraptor's fall echoed in his mind, and Ash bellowed out, 'Infernape, Mach Punch! Now!'

Infernape went forward like a bullet from where it landed, its fist glowing with power, straight at Magmortar who was raising one of its cannon-arms towards Gliscor. With a shriek, Infernape struck and batted the other Fire-type's arm out of the way, sending the fireball shooting towards the metal wall where it exploded with a bang.

However, the Blast Pokémon spun with the motion, whirling, aiming and firing a second Flame Burst attack from its other arm straight at Gliscor. This second blast, though, was fired a second too late, and Gliscor rammed into Torterra's face with devastating impact about a second before the fireball blew it clear off to the side. Torterra skidded back, scorched teeth marks on its face, as Gliscor crashed into the side of the conveyor belt, giving Dawn a painful jolt as Gliscor collapsed to the floor, completely unconscious.

'Gliscor, no!' yelled Ash.

Knight grunted. 'A valiant effort, Mr. Ketchum, but ultimately fruitless.' With another click of the remote, the conveyor belt stirred into life again, jostling Gliscor's form as Dawn was shifted just a little closer to the opening.

'Ash!' she yelled. 'If you have a plan, now would be better than later!'

'No need to worry, Dawn,' Ash replied, causing Dawn to blink at his wording. 'I promised to get you out of here, and I'm not letting you down now!' He recalled Gliscor with a flourish, thanked it, and set it aside. 'Torterra, I choose you!' he yelled, throwing out his final Poké-ball once more.

As Ash's Torterra emerged on the field, the five observers couldn't help but look at the set up. On each side of the field stood a Torterra, both sturdy, both solid, and neither was willing to let up an inch. Standing next to them, a Fire-type, both brimming with energy and just waiting to let it explode out. Standing behind them, a trainer, both with the glint in their eyes saying that they were ready to pull out all the stops to win. Pairs of eyes locked with their counterparts from both sides of the field.

'Cilan, do you think Ash has a chance?' asked Iris, not even taking her eyes off the setup, too nervous to even breathe.

'No clue, Iris,' murmured Cilan. 'No clue.'

Knight finally made the first move. 'Let's see your Torterra dodge this! Flame Burst barrage!'

'Nuts,' muttered Ash as Magmortar unleashed a now-familiar salvo of fireballs straight at the two Pokémon. 'Infernape, block with the Flamethrower Counter-shield!' Infernape dropped to its back in front of Torterra and spun around, forming whips of flame that shattered the fireballs one by one.

'Can you do anything else other than that counter-shield rubbish?' called Knight in frustration. 'Magmortar, crank it up!'

'Why call it rubbish if it's working?' retorted Ash. 'Infernape, faster!' As the fireballs kept flying at the two Pokémon at a much faster rate, Infernape whirled faster and faster, pouring more fire out of its mouth and batting away fireball after fireball.

'Working? Let's see you call it working now!' snapped Knight. 'Torterra, Wood Hammer!' Knight's Torterra gave a titanic bellow and barreled forward through its partner's barrage, its tree glowing brightly. The flame whips lashed hard against its head, but the Shiny Continent Pokémon bore right through the onslaught and collided hard against Infernape, knocking it against Ash's Torterra and forcing both backwards.

'No!' cried Lyra, 'the shield failed!'

'Now, Leech Seed!' Knight ordered, as the Shiny Torterra flicked its tree again, sending more seeds shooting towards the two Pokémon.

'Flame Wheel, go!' shouted Ash. Infernape whirled into a ball of fire, incinerating the approaching seeds, while the rest bounced off Torterra's shell.

'Magmortar, stop 'em! Rock Tomb!' called Knight. Once again, Magmortar blasted a purple orb from its arm cannon into the ground, sending rocks erupting out of the ground in a line straight for Infernape and Torterra.

'Infernape, jump! Torterra, Earthquake!' countered Ash. Once more, Torterra slammed hard on the ground with its forelegs, as Infernape leapt to avoid it. The metal ground fissured violently, shattering the approaching rocks. The cracks carried on, giving both enemy Pokémon a severe jolt.

'Now, follow up with Energy Ball! Infernape, Flamethrower!' Ash shouted. As Infernape breathed out more blasts of flame at Knight's Torterra, Ash's Torterra opened its mouth and unleashed orbs of green energy right at Magmortar.

'No chance! Magmortar, Flamethrower! Torterra, Earth Power!' This time, it was Knight's turn to counter. Magmortar released twin streams of fire from its cannons, while the Shiny Torterra stomped powerfully on the ground. As the tongues of flame neutralized Ash's attacks, golden cracks spread over the ground and exploded under both of Ash's Pokémon, sending them stumbling backwards.

'Good grief!' Lyra exclaimed, 'Is anyone getting a lead here?'

'This is too close to call,' murmured Khoury, 'I think the winner is the first one to blink, or the first one to come up with an idea neither of them can see!'

Ash stared at Knight, both faces mirroring expressions of intense concentration and focus._ Come on, come on, think, _he thought as fast as he could, _I need an idea, I need a new plan, I need something that Knight hasn't seen before, something totally unexpected, something…_ Cue the light-bulb moment.

As Ash's Pokémon stabilized themselves, Ash called out, 'Torterra, charge up an Energy Ball and prepare to attack! Infernape, prepare for a Flame Wheel!'

As the two Pokémon charged up their attacks, Infernape with a raging inferno of hair and Torterra with another green energy ball, Knight's eyes narrowed. 'Do you really think the same trick will work twice? Torterra, Earth Power! Magmortar, Heat Wave!' Torterra stomped on the ground once again, sending a series of glowing fissures forward, as Magmortar fired two gales of superheated air.

Ash merely smirked. 'Not quite. Alright, Infernape, swallow the Energy Ball, and let loose with the Flame Wheel!' This time, Infernape darted forward and gulped down the Energy Ball, and bellowed as the flames on its head turned a vibrant shade of green. Then it curled up into a fireball and surged forward, blowing right through the Heat Wave and Earth Power attacks.

'Inconceivable!' cried Cilan. 'He infused Infernape's Fire-type attack with Torterra's Grass power, giving it a truly spectacular flavor!'

'Wow,' Dawn murmured, staring at Ash's new attack , 'and I thought my Flame Ice combos were amazing…'

'What the-' exclaimed Knight, thrown off by Ash's unprecedented attack, 'Magmortar, Torterra, use Thunderpunch and Wood Hammer! Shut it down!'

'No way! Torterra, Rock Climb!' Magmortar's electrically-charged fist and Torterra's glowing-tree charge were stopped short by more rocks sprouting out of the ground, stranding them on top of pillars of stone. As the green-fireball Infernape roared up the side of the rocks, Ash's Torterra pounded up the rock-side on lengthened, glowing claws.

'No!' yelled Knight.

Infernape smashed into the Shiny Torterra with a thud, sending the Continent Pokémon toppling off the pillar, as Ash's own Torterra crashed into Magmortar, sending it flying. Before Knight could react, his two Pokémon landed with a thud in front of Knight, out for the count.

'Yes! Yes! Yes!' Dawn squealed in excitement despite the bonds. 'I'm free!'

'Alright! He did it!' cried Lyra and Iris. Cilan and Khoury grinned

'A deal's a deal,' snapped Ash, 'Let Dawn go, now.' When Knight didn't move, he said, 'Come on, Knight, are you a gentleman or not?'

Knight let out a slow breath. 'You won fair and square, Ketchum. ' He pressed another button on the floor, and the door to the furnace slowly closed. He pulled a knife out of his pouch and slid it across the ground to the conveyor belt in front of Dawn.

Lyra, Khoury, Iris and Cilan rushed across the battlefield, Cilan snatching the knife off the ground and starting to cut Dawn's bonds. Ash recalled his Pokémon, thanking them for all their help. Then he glanced at Knight. 'Come on, Lucas, remember, you're Dawn's friend, remember?'

Knight didn't answer as he recalled his Pokémon. 'Thank you both for a fine battle,' he said, then turned away from Ash, completely ignoring him.

'Lucas, where are you going?' Dawn shouted after him, even as Cilan sawed at her ankle ropes. 'Ash won! You're okay now?'

Knight paused. 'You do not get it, do you, Ms. Berlitz? I'm not Lucas Brand. I am Knight, the gentleman battler. If you want to get your friend back…well then, Mr. Ketchum over there is just going to have to get to the end to find out.' With that, he vanished through a side door that sealed behind him.

'Lucas, wait!' cried Dawn, but it was too late. 'What's going on, Ash?' she asked, turning to her friend. 'Lucas and I were just heading to Fallarbor Town when Team Rocket goons yanked us off the road. Next thing I know, I'm tied up on this conveyor belt and you're here fighting my new friend for my life.'

Ash looked at Dawn. 'Team Rocket captured all of you to get to me,' he said, 'and if I don't win, I lose my friends. I'm not losing anyone, and you're not getting any playing around out of me.'

'Well, if you pull off moves like that, you should stop playing around more often…' muttered Iris.

Ash gave her a look. 'Come on, Dawn, I'll fill you in. We've still got three more players to stop, and 6 more friends to save.'

* * *

><p>Professor Juniper stared at the screen, the plane jostling the laptop slightly. 'Sam, what do you mean they're gone?'<p>

'It means what it means, Aurea!' the grey-haired Professor Oak replied, with more than a little bit of panic in his voice. 'When Ash, Liza and his friends didn't arrive at the Pallet Town pier, I got worried. Then when I got back to the lab, I found that Tracy's gone, and all of Ash's Pokémon stored here are gone with him!'

Before Professor Juniper could answer, more incoming calls flashed on the screen. She pressed a few buttons, and the brown-bearded Professor Birch, and the elderly Professor Rowan appeared next to Oak. 'Will, Archie, what's going on?'

'It's Brendan,' replied Birch, 'He hasn't called me today, and ever since he started his journey, he's never, ever missed a call to us. Ever!'

'Lucas hasn't shown up either,' put in Rowan. 'He missed his report-in time, and he never forgets his either. I was talking to Will about that, and we decided to check in with you.'

'This cannot be a coincidence,' Juniper remarked. 'All our young charges disappearing all at once? Something's dreadfully wrong.'

The professors were all silent. 'I think we'd better contact Ernest and Officer Jenny,' said Oak finally. 'If something has gone awry, we're going to need all the help we can get.'

* * *

><p>Again, sorry for the delay. I'll be posting the rest up soon, so please R&amp;R! And please, no flaming!<p> 


	11. Chapter 11 Strategy Smarts

**Friendship is Eternal**

**A/N: **Ash, Iris and Cilan find themselves pulled away from their journey at the request of one of their old friends. This starts them on a quest that brings back many old faces, a few new ones, and a challenge that Ash must overcome. Exactly what challenge is this? Well, you're just going to have to read to find out!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything Pokémon related whatsoever.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11: Strategy Smarts<strong>

'Ash, you mean all the evil organizations you've faced in the past have captured all your friends, including us, and now you've got to battle for our safety?' Dawn repeated, after Ash and his companions had explained everything to her on the way out of the boiler room.

'Yeah, that's the gist of it…' said Cilan.

'I'm sorry you've had to go through this because of me,' said Ash, 'If I knew that being my friend would lead to all of this, I wouldn't have – ow!' He exclaimed when Lyra bopped him on the head.

'Ash, we've had this conversation,' she said, 'It was not, is not, and never will be your fault that all this has happened. If you must blame someone, blame Team Rocket and all the rest, but never yourself.'

Dawn nodded vigorously. 'Ash, I don't blame you for this at all. We're friends, and that's all there is to it. I'm sure we'd all do the same for you if you were captured to get to us.'

Ash sighed. 'Yeah, but that doesn't change the fact that we're in this situation now. So, how do you know Lucas?'

'He's Professor Rowan's field assistant,' answered Dawn. 'I grew up with him in Twinleaf Town along with Barry. He's an extremely skillful trainer and somehow balances his duties for Professor Rowan with training his Pokémon. He actually started his journey a few days before you arrived in Twinleaf Town. Last I recall, he had made it to the Pokémon League but only reached the Top 16. I met up with him when I got back to Twinleaf Town and he agreed to join me through my Hoenn journey, him having to do some fieldwork in that region.'

Ash raised an eyebrow. 'A childhood friend?' he repeated. 'So he's real special to you?'

'Of course, I practically grew up with him,' said Dawn. 'I just don't understand why he's like this.'

'The bosses must have him under some form of brainwashing,' replied Ash, 'and I promise to get him back. After all, any friend of yours is a friend of mine.'

Dawn smiled slightly. 'Thanks, Ash.'

In short order, the group reached the junction, where Ash saw that the next battler was the Bishop. Upon arriving in the ballroom, Ash solemnly deposited his Poké-balls into the wall compartments, and watched as they were replaced by a new set of 6 Poké-balls.

Like before, Ash scanned the Poké-balls, while behind him, Iris explained to Dawn the rules of the tournament. This time, what came out were a small orange and black pig, a green and beige snake which looked to be made of leaves, a blue and white otter with a scallop shell on its belly, a small brown and blue toad covered in lumps, a yellow humanoid Pokémon with odd baggy pants, and a black-white-and-grey bird-like Pokémon with a proud red crest.

'Tepig, Snivy, Oshawott, Palpitoad, Scraggy and Tranquill,' noted Ash. 'My latest team.'

'An all-Unova team?' mused Cilan. 'So far, we've had Johto vs. Johto, Sinnoh vs. Sinnoh…Do you think that this Bishop person will have an all-Unova team too?'

Iris nodded. 'It would seem to fit the pattern.'

'Well, Unova or not, I'm still going to win,' replied Ash, his voice only ringing with determination, as he turned for the door once again, his friends right behind him.

Soon, they had reached backstage and went through the Bishop-marked door. This time, they entered a long corridor that seemed to span the entire length of the ship before it finally ended in a door.

When Ash opened it, the group found themselves at the entrance to an enormous gymnasium. Treadmills, barbells, trampolines and other assorted gym equipment lined the edges of the room, and several ring pairs hung from the ceiling. In the middle of the room lay a large array of mats, forming a sort of battling arena, and standing at the other end of the mat was the bespectacled Bishop.

'Well, well, so you've made it here,' he said, 'I suppose it was to be expected – a trainer making it to the top 16 of most regional tournaments would logically have a chance of beating Rook and Knight. But I promise you, I am more than a match for someone even of your standards.'

'Enough chit-chat, Bishop, where are my friends?' Ash snapped.

'Such impatience. Your companions are over there.' Bishop gestured over his shoulder, to where a young man in a green shirt and red headband, and a blonde girl in an orange blouse and disheveled white hat were tied up in metal chains, the chain looping dangerously around their throats.

'Tracey! Bianca!' Ash called out.

'Ash? Ash!' Tracey shouted. 'What's going on? Why are we trapped like this?'

'Cheren!' yelled Bianca. 'Let us go, right now! Why aren't you listening?' Her voice was hoarse as if she'd been yelling the same thing for a long while.

Bishop shook his head in annoyance. 'I knew the bosses should've installed soundproofing. Well, Mr. Ketchum, I'm sure you know the procedure by now; win these matches or your friends are history.' He gestured to a pair of huge barbells anchored to the ceiling with four chains each, one of which ran over a pulley and connected to the chains constricting around Tracey and Bianca's necks. It was obvious that if the barbells were dropped, the chain would follow and break the captives' necks.

Ash didn't waste his breath threatening Bishop. 'Alright Bishop, you've had your fun. Now tell us the challenge so I can release my friends!'

Bishop was undeterred. 'Triple Battles,' he answered calmly. '2 teams of 3. Exchanges are allowed at any time, but only to exchange one whole team for another. In addition, once one whole team is defeated, both Trainers must change to the other team. Teams cannot be reinforced by Pokémon from the other team. First to lose all one's Pokémon loses. Any questions?'

'Yeah, one: are you going to keep talking or are we actually going to battle?' Ash asked, three Poké-balls already in his hands.

'Your eagerness to begin betrays your skill,' Bishop said with a menacing glint of his spectacles. 'I'll be sure to make your defeat at least an educational experience. And if you don't mind, I think I'll show my hand first! Team 1: Heatmor, Golett, Liepard, engage now!'

Three Poké-balls flew through the air and released flashes of light, forming into a red and yellow-striped anteater with beige pipe-like wristbands, a flickering flame tongue and a pipe-shaped tail, a sleek, purple leopard with a yellow belly, paws and ring markings and a sickle-shaped tail, and a blue rock-like golem with yellow arms and crossbands marked with a spiral.

'Fire, Dark, and Ground-types?' wondered Khoury. 'That's an interesting combination.'

Cilan cocked his head. 'I don't know…his recipe might be based more around statistics rather than type…wonder what Ash is going to come up with?'

'Right,' Ash said, clenching his Poké-balls, 'Palpitoad, Scraggy, Tranquill, I choose you!' With three more flashes, a blue-and-beige rotund toad-like Pokémon with a white tail and light-blue lumps all over its head and body, a diminutive humanoid Pokémon with a large orange head, a small beige body, and arms holding up what looked like orange lizard-skin pants, and a large grey bird with a black crest and red eye-markings.

Bishop gave a derisive snort. 'Two mid-levels and a juvenile; is that the best you can do? So be it. Liepard, Fury Swipes on Palpitoad!'

'Tranquill, intercept with Air Cutter!' Ash shouted. As Liepard leapt forward, needle-like claws extended, Tranquill flapped its wings and sent an X-blast of air crescent blades whirling towards Liepard. Liepard easily batted the blades out of the way, but that gave Ash and Palpitoad a chance to counter.

'Palpitoad, use Supersonic!' Ash called. Palpitoad breathed in, inflating its body, and then bellowed, unleashing a sonic cry that struck Liepard, knocking it into a tizzy.

'Golett, Mud-Slap on Scraggy! Heatmor, Fire Spin on Tranquill!' Bishop said, unflappable. Golett growled and flung a handful of mud formed in its palm at Scraggy, while Heatmor took a deep breath and expelled a spiraling tornado of flames. The mass of mud clocked Scraggy, sending it rolling backwards with a cry, and Tranquill was struck by the flaming tornado, sheathing it in a ring of fire.

'Tranquill, break out with Aerial Ace, then grab Scraggy!' called Ash. Despite the heat, Tranquill flared its wings and then shot out of the ring of flames, an air ram over its head protecting it from the worst of the fire. Then it swooped down and snatched Scraggy in its talons, carrying it up in the air.

'Scraggy, use Leer on all of them!' Ash called. 'And Palpitoad, use a wide-band Supersonic!' Hanging from Tranquill's talons, Scraggy's eyes glowed blue, and it gave a menacing glare down at all three Pokémon. At the same time, Palpitoad unleashed another sonic attack, this one empowered over a wide area and aimed at the opposing team.

'Juvenile,' Bishop snorted. 'Golett, Safeguard!' Golett clasped its hands together and then drew them apart, generating a flickering green shield over all three Pokémon. The Supersonic attack struck the shield, but just fizzled out. The Leer attack, though, managed to make its way through and the three Pokémon flinched.

Ash frowned, but didn't miss a beat. 'Now, Scraggy, Hi Jump Kick on Liepard!' With a twist, Tranquill tossed Scraggy right at the still-dazed Liepard. The Shedding Pokémon pulled up its lizard-skin pants and thrust out its knee, which started glowing with orange energy. The dazed Liepard was unable to dodge as Scraggy rammed right into its side, knocking it back towards Bishop.

Ash grinned at the success, but blinked when he saw Bishop grin as well. 'Big mistake. Golett, Dynamicpunch!' The blue-grey Automaton Pokémon surged forward, its fist glowing with the same power as Scraggy's attack, and slugged it with a devastating uppercut, knocking the smaller Pokémon straight into the air.

'Scraggy, no!' Ash yelled in panic as Scraggy thudded to the ground. Tranquill and Palpitoad gave cries of worry at their younger teammate, but Scraggy clambered back to its feet, injured, but furious at the attack. The next moment, a black aura surrounded its body and it lunged forward, tackling Golett violently and shoving it backwards.

'What – was that Payback?' said Khoury, somewhat recognizing the move. 'Wow, what power!'

Bishop frowned. 'You're just flying back into range for me. Heatmor, Bind now!' Heatmor flicked out its long, flame-like tongue and in one quick motion, lassoed Scraggy, preventing it from moving.

'Tranquill, cut Scraggy loose with Quick Attack!' shouted Ash. Tranquill immediately zoomed down, a trail of white light behind it, aiming towards the tongue.

'Battle rule number 6, Ketchum,' called Bishop, 'never take your eyes off your opponent! Liepard, Faint Attack!'

'Huh? But isn't Liepard…' the question died in Ash's throat when he realized he'd been so focused on Scraggy he hadn't noticed Liepard coming out of its confusion. In a blur of movement, Liepard was in Tranquill's way and smashed into the Wild Pigeon Pokémon, sending it tumbling through the air.

'That Liepard's fast!' exclaimed Lyra.

Ash winced, but tried to regain his composure. 'Palpitoad, use Mud Shot on Heatmor!' Palpitoad flicked its own long tongue out, and swung it, releasing huge globs of mud that flew straight at Heatmor.

Bishop smirked. 'A grave error in judgment, I'm afraid. Golett, Protect, and Heatmor, Incinerate!' Golett was back on its feet and in between the attack and Heatmor in an instant, and a pulsating spherical force field appeared over it, intercepting the Mud Shot and completely neutralizing it. At the same time, Heatmor's tongue went bright white with heat, its tailpipe-like tail expelled a burst of smoke, and Scraggy gave a yell in agony as its skin was seared by the fire attack.

'Scraggy!' yelled Ash. 'You'll pay for that! Palpitoad, use Hydro Pump on Golett!' Growling at the attack on its younger comrade, Palpitoad literally swelled in anger, and then expelled a torrential gusher of water straight at Golett. Golett went flying back from the water pressure, striking Heatmor and sending both the Fire-type and the part-Ground-type into convulsions of pain from the water.

'Now, Tranquill, save Scraggy!' Ash called. Recovering from Liepard's attack, Tranquill swooped forward and snatched Scraggy from the weakened Heatmor's grasp.

'Alright!' cheered Dawn. 'Ash's got the upper hand!' But her grin faltered when she saw Cilan's calculating look.

'I don't know,' he mumbled to himself, 'I just can't shake the feeling that every move Bishop has made has been leading Ash into a bigger trap…'

'Heh, and you'd be right, Mr. Gardner!' called Bishop. 'Liepard, Night Slash!'

Liepard was on the move like a purple lightning bolt, charging past Palpitoad, its right claw lengthened and glowing purple with energy. In the blink of an eye, it was past Palpitoad, which was groaning from a gash in its side. At that attack, the Hydro Pump fizzled out.

'Golett, throw Heatmor! Heatmor, execute a mid-air Fire Spin on Tranquill!' Bishop ordered. Despite Heatmor being almost a foot taller than Golett, the Automaton Pokémon easily grasped the Anteater Pokémon and hurled it straight at Tranquill and Scraggy. In mid-air, Heatmor breathed out another spinning cone of flames that stretched out like the jaws of a hungry beast. Tranquill had no chance to evade and it and Scraggy were sucked into the vortex. Loud cries echoed through the room for a moment before the Fire Spin dumped both Tranquill and Scraggy onto the ground next to Palpitoad, covered in burns and ash.

'Guys, no!' cried Ash in horror.

'Did you see that?' Iris murmured in horror at the devastating attack.

'I saw it, but I still don't believe it!' replied Lyra.

'Excellent work, everyone,' said Bishop approvingly as Heatmor landed deftly on the ground. 'You see, Ketchum? My strategies are unbeatable. You can't hope to win!'

Ash took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. 'Come on, everyone, we can't fail now! Our friends are counting on us!' Slowly, his three Pokémon clambered to his feet, fixing their enemies with determined glares. Each let out a battle cry, growling that they were not going to give up. 'That's the spirit, guys!'

Bishop's expression tightened. 'I see you are not quite finished yet. No matter, that will soon change. Liepard, Fury Swipes, Golett, Shadow Punch onslaught!' As Golett started pumping its arms like pistons, sending a multitude of shadowy fists flying at the team, Liepard charged through the barrage like a rocket, claws extended.

'Tranquill, Gust! Palpitoad, get ready!' Ash called out. Tranquill flared its wings and started flapping them violently, generating powerful winds that battered at the Shadow Punch attacks, pushing them aside. Liepard started to slow as it pushed through the winds.

Bishop grunted. 'Heatmor, back it up! Incinerate!' Heatmor growled, charging forward. It flicked out its tongue and slashed it through the air, sending waves of flame whipping at the Pokémon.

'Palpitoad, Mud Shot!' Ash ordered. 'Scraggy, Heatbutt on Liepard!' Mud blasts flew from Palpitoad's glowing tongue, extinguishing the Incinerate attack while Scraggy flew forward, empowered by Tranquill's Gust. Slowed by the gust, Liepard was struck powerfully by Scraggy bashing its head right into it, knocking it backwards.

'Now, Palpitoad, get it!' yelled Ash. Palpitoad gave a bellow and leapt into the air. Its body pulsated with a bronze aura and when it came down, a wall of earth rippled out from its landing position like a wave of water. Travelling under the still-airborne Scraggy, it rammed powerfully into Liepard and Golett, sending them both sprawling. Heatmor, as it was directly behind Liepard, managed to avoid the worst of the earth wave.

'Was that Bulldoze?' said Cilan in amazement. 'So that's Palpitoad's last move!'

'Alright!' Ash cheered. 'Tranquill, Aerial Ace! Finish it off!' Tranquill took off straight for the stunned Liepard at top speeds, its head encased in its air ram. 'It can't dodge this!'

'It doesn't need to,' countered Bishop, brushing aside one of his bangs. 'You've walked right into my trap. Now, Heatmor, Bind!' By now, Heatmor was in range, and it lashed out its long tongue, snaring Tranquill in its tracks.

'No, Tranquill!' yelled Ash in a panic. 'Scraggy, Palpitoad, go!'

'Nice try! Liepard, Shadow Claw, and Golett, Dynamicpunch!' shouted Bishop. Before either Scraggy or Palpitoad could make a move, both were groaning on the ground, and Liepard was a few meters away with claws formed out of dark energy around its front paws. This left Golett completely unmarked as it barreled forward, fist glowing brightly. The moment Heatmor released the Wild Pigeon Pokémon, Golett was there, and hammered Tranquill with devastating impact, sending it flying across the room.

'Tranquill!' yelled Ash, watching his Pokémon careen through the air. With a thud, it crashed into Khoury, knocking both to the ground.

'Ugh…' muttered Khoury, sitting up and seeing Tranquill sprawled on his lap, out like a light. 'No! Tranquill, are you okay?' Tranquill gave a weak chirp in reply.

'Case in point, Ketchum,' said Bishop, smirking. 'You can't defeat my strategies or my Pokémon, and now you'll see the results.' When he took out a remote from his pocket, Ash had a sneaking suspicion he knew what was going to happen, and he was right. Bishop pressed one of the buttons, one of the chains holding up the barbell in front of Tracey was released with a clank, leaving two chains holding it up.

'Oh no!' gulped Tracey. 'Ash, do you mind getting your game up please?'

'Don't worry, Tracey,' said Ash, 'when it comes to my friends, my game's up as high as it can go!'

'Cilan, any thoughts?' asked Lyra.

'Bishop's team seems to be a perfect blend, encompassing many different flavors,' Cilan said thoughtfully, 'Between Liepard's rapid-fire speed, Heatmor's sizzling raw power, Golett's pure strength and stamina, and Bishop's masterful recipe for battling success, I'm afraid Ash is going to need a streak of pure brilliance to pull off a win.'

'…er, could someone please translate?' said Dawn, looking at Cilan with a very puzzled glance.

Iris sighed. 'Here, let me explain…'

Ignoring Iris's explanation, Ash recalled Tranquill. 'Thanks for your effort, Tranquill, rest up.' Frowning, he grasped for his other two Poké-balls. 'Scraggy and Palpitoad can't defeat this team now; I've got to give them a rest…'

'Don't think so, Ketchum!' interrupted Bishop. 'Heatmor, Fire Spin on both of them!' With another tornado of flame from the Anteater Pokémon's snout, a ring of flame appeared around both of Ash's Pokémon, preventing Ash from recalling either of them.

'No,' Ash muttered. 'Looks like everyone is going to hang in for a little longer…Scraggy, Payback!' he suddenly yelled. Its body flaring with black energy, Scraggy lunged for Liepard and smashed it, knocking both backwards.

'Rrrgh…We'll see how long you can hang in after this,' Bishop growled, 'Golett, throw Heatmor, and then use Magnitude!' Golett again tossed Heatmor into the air, right before it raised its fists for a grand slam.

'Not this time! Palpitoad, grab it and use Hydro Pump!' bellowed Ash. Palpitoad lashed out its long tongue and snared its arm, faltering it for just a split second. That proved to be a mistake, as Palpitoad instantly blasted out a giant torrent of water that struck Golett and sent it flying with a crash into the wall. As the jet died down, Golett slumped to the ground, its yellow eyes now swirls in its head.

'Yes!' Lyra cheered. 'One down!'

As Scraggy scuttled back to its position Liepard staggered to its feet and Heatmor landed, Bishop recalled Golett. 'Great work, my friend. Well Ketchum,' he said, looking directly at Ash. 'I guess your prowess isn't as low as I thought. But regardless, my strategies will win me this battle!'

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><p>I'll be posting the rest up soon, so please R&amp;R! And please, no flaming!<p> 


	12. Chapter 12 Child's Play

**Friendship is Eternal**

**A/N: **Ash, Iris and Cilan find themselves pulled away from their journey at the request of one of their old friends. This starts them on a quest that brings back many old faces, a few new ones, and a challenge that Ash must overcome. Exactly what challenge is this? Well, you're just going to have to read to find out!

Thanks for the reviews, and I've addressed a few concerns:

FlameUser64: thanks for the notes, and I've changed my last battle accordingly.

El Lector: Glad someone else thinks so.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything Pokémon related whatsoever.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12: Child's Play<strong>

'Liepard, use Hone Claws, and then execute the Razor Eclipse combo!' ordered Bishop. Liepard scraped its claws against each other, sharpening them into points, and then its whole body started to glow with power.

'Huh? Razor Eclipse combo?' repeated Ash, thrown off by the unusual naming. 'What sort of move is that?'

A second later he found out. Liepard started running circles around both Scraggy and Palpitoad, front paws sheathed in shadowy claws, back paws with nails fully extended, and scythe tail shimmering with purplish energy, and slashing them like a whirlwind of blades.

'Good grief!' Khoury exclaimed. 'How fast has he trained his Liepard?'

'Too fast!' Lyra replied, hands clasped together in excitement. 'I can barely see it!'

'Come on Ash!' Dawn called out, 'you can win this!'

Ash looked around wildly, trying to think of a solution, when he suddenly noticed that the Safeguard barrier that Golett had erected all the while ago had finally faded. _When faced with combos, the best thing to do is break their concentration_, _and I've got just the Pokémon to do it!_ 'Palpitoad, prepare for Supersonic!' Palpitoad, grimacing from the numerous cuts etched into its body, nodded, and took a deep breath in preparation.

'Obvious response,' chuckled Bishop. 'Obvious solution. Heatmor, Fire Spin!' Heatmor sucked in a breath, its mouth already starting to flicker with flame.

Ash smirked. 'Right response, wrong target!' he responded. 'Palpitoad, Supersonic on Heatmor!' Palpitoad twisted and released its attack, bellowing sonic waves towards the Anteater Pokémon. The second Heatmor launched its Fire Spin, the sonic attack threw it off-kilter, instead sending waves of flame flying everywhere, landing in between Ash and his Pokémon. Streams of flame hit the mat in front of Liepard, setting it alight. Liepard tripped trying to avoid the flame and skidded across the mats.

'Liepard, look out!' called Bishop in concern.

'Too late!' shouted Ash. 'Scraggy, Hi Jump Kick!' Now free of the slashing, the determined Scraggy launched itself towards Liepard, its knee glowing brightly. With Heatmor incapacitated and Liepard stunned, neither Pokémon could do anything as the Shedding Pokémon ploughed hard into the Cruel Pokémon's side. That was the last straw, and Liepard went flying to finally sprawl in front of Bishop, out like a light.

'Alright!' cheered Tracey. 'That's another one down! We'll be out of here in no time!'

'Excellent work, Liepard,' said Bishop solemnly as he recalled his beaten Pokémon. 'You may have defeated two of my Pokémon, but this battle is far from done!'

'Cheren, come on, focus! You know who you are! You're my friend!' shouted Bianca. 'Cheren, wake up!'

Bishop's eyelid twitched. 'Quiet!' he shouted angrily at Bianca, who fell conspicuously silent. 'Cheren is but a memory. I am Bishop, the best strategist there is! Heatmor, return!' Holding out his Poké-ball, he drew the staggering Anteater Pokémon back into it.

'Huh? What's he up to?' wondered Dawn.

'He must know his team's in no shape to fight. He's going for a fresh one!' replied Cilan.

'And with the Fire Spin still active, Ash won't be able to switch out a new team!' realized Khoury. 'He'll be at a disadvantage!'

'Team 2: Sigilyph, Panpour, Servine, engage now!' shouted Bishop, throwing his last three Poké-balls into the air. With three loud bursts, they all opened up to release his second team, a multicolored sphere with three eyes, one on a black eyestalk at the top, and two yellow bird-like wings and a bird-like tail, a small beige monkey with a blue torso, ears, head and hair and a tail tuft that resembled a water spout, and a green snake with a beige stomach, crests along its spine that resembled leaves, a yellow collar and small stubby arms and legs. All three looked exceedingly well trained, and the Servine looked the best trained of all.

Ash took a breath when his eyes fell on the Servine. 'Another starter. I wonder why it is not fully-evolved the others?'

'Looks can be deceiving, Ketchum,' replied Bishop coldly. 'Servine, Vine Whip on Palpitoad!' Servine extended long green vines from its shoulders and whipped them towards Palpitoad.

'Oh no, you don't!' Ash shouted. 'Palpitoad, block it with Bulldoze! Scraggy, follow it!' Palpitoad again bounced up and slammed on the ground, generating a solid wall of earth out of the ground that flew towards the three Pokémon, Scraggy running closely behind it. The vines just bounced off the wall as it approached.

'Really?' scoffed Bishop, 'Panpour, Aqua Tail, and Sigilyph, Miracle Eye.' Panpour lunged for the wall, water rings expanding around its tail, and whirled around, striking the wall and letting the surging water shatter the attack. Even as Scraggy flew through the mass of earth, Sigilyph's three eyes flashed, shooting out thin pink beams of light that focused on Scraggy like targeting scopes.

'Now, Scraggy, Headbutt on Panpour!' Ash called.

'Sigilyph, stop that infant with Psybeam!' Bishop ordered. With a low cry, Sigilyph lanced a beam of sparkly, multicolored light from its tail "feathers" that struck Scraggy dead-on. Scraggy howled in pain and was sent flying backwards from the super-effective attack, to bounce painfully across the mat.

'Scraggy!' yelled Ash in horror.

'What happened?' cried Lyra.

'Normally, Scraggy is immune to Psychic attacks because of its part-Dark typing,' said Cilan worriedly, 'but Sigilyph's Miracle Eye has removed Scraggy's immunity, so now it takes super-effective damage because of it's part-Fighting typing!' Everyone gasped at the realization.

Ash heard Cilan too, and his jaw tightened. 'I've got to stop it! Palpitoad, Hydro Pump on Sigilyph!' Palpitoad sucked in a breath, and then let loose with a powerful jet of water that spewed towards the Avianoid Pokémon.

Bishop, as usual, didn't even flinch. 'Sigilyph, Tailwinds, and then dodge!' Sigilyph flared its wings and a gust of wind flared up around its body, swirling around it like a miniature tornado, and then it speedily darted out of the way of the Hydro Pump. Offshoots of the gust broke off to swirl around Panpour and Servine as well.

'Right, Servine, use Wrap on Palpitoad!' said Bishop. Like a whiplash, Servine shot forward and wound its long, snake-like body around Palpitoad before it could dodge. Palpitoad grunted as it struggled to break loose.

'Another fast Pokémon?' groaned Dawn. 'How many does he have?'

'Palpitoad, break out with Supersonic!' Ash shouted hurriedly.

'Don't give it a chance, Servine! Mega Drain!' Bishop responded almost instantly. Before Palpitoad had a chance to unleash his sonic cry, Servine's body surged with green energy and the Vibration Pokémon howled in pain as the energy was sucked right out of its body and into Servine.

'No! Scraggy, use Headbutt on Servine! Free Palpitoad!' called Ash. This wasn't working out at all. With one Pokémon short, he was forced on the defensive, and Bishop seemed to have figured out a perfect counter for every move he made. Scraggy immediately scrambled to its feet and flung itself at Servine. Its small head knocked against Servine with just enough force to daze it, allowing Palpitoad to break free, albeit weakened.

'We've got them on the ropes! Panpour, Water Gun! Sigilyph, Gust! Servine, Growth up!' Bishop snarled, smelling victory ever closer. As Sigilyph swept its wings forward, releasing a gale of wind, Panpour fired a jet of water that the wind magnified into a horizontal squall. Both Palpitoad and Scraggy were splashed by the combo attack, forcing them backwards. At the same time, Servine's body flared with a shimmering green aura, energy visibly surging through it.

'Servine, finish this with Leaf Tornado!' Bishop stated with a sort of finality. Servine leapt into the air and spun around, a huge tornado of leaves billowing out from around it, glowing with the Growth's generated power. Then it did a somersault, sending the tornado flying downwards like a gigantic whip, straight towards Scraggy!

'Scraggy, look out!' yelled Ash.

'Scraggy!' yelled everyone watching.

Stunned by the water attack, Scraggy wasn't able to react fast enough to dodge. But suddenly, Palpitoad, of its own accord, threw itself forward and knocked Scraggy out of the way. But as a result, it put itself in harm's way, and the powerful Grass-type attack hammered its body.

'Palpitoad, no!' Ash cried out in dismay.

When the attack ceased, Palpitoad only remained standing long enough to give a glare towards its three standing adversaries before it slumped to the ground. Scraggy hurried to its partner's side, chattering in a panic. Palpitoad rolled over with a groan to look at the Shedding Pokémon, then gave a nod of reassurance before the Vibration Pokémon closed its eyes.

'One more step towards your friends' doom, Ketchum!' said Bishop mercilessly, pressing another button, and severing another cable from the barbells, leaving only four remaining.

Ash wasn't listening; instead he was at Palpitoad's side, cradling his valiant battler in his arms. 'Are you alright, Palpitoad? Say something!' he said, his voice laced with worry. Palpitoad merely gave a groan in response. 'Thanks for your bravery. I will not let your defeat go in vain.' With that, he drew Palpitoad back into its Poké-ball and looked at Scraggy, who was breathing heavily. 'Scraggy, there's no way you can hold out any longer. I'll save you for later. Return now.'

But when Ash held out Scraggy's Poké-ball and released the beam of red light to recall it, Scraggy dodged out of the way. Ash blinked in confusion. 'Scraggy?'

Scraggy started chattering wildly, pointing towards Palpitoad's Poké-ball, then at himself, then at Bishop's Pokémon, and finished by punching its own palm. Ash looked confused for a moment, then he understood what Scraggy was saying. 'You're saying you want to keep fighting? You don't want Palpitoad to have sacrificed itself for nothing?' Scraggy nodded vigorously.

Ash clenched his jaw, then gave Scraggy a determined grin. 'All right, then, Scraggy, let's do this for Palpitoad!' Scraggy pulled up its lizard-skin pants and gritted its large teeth.

Bishop chuckled. 'Fool. Your Scraggy is just as reckless as you are. There's no way it can beat even one of my Pokémon.'

'Bishop, here's my Rule Number 2 of battling,' Ash countered, '"Never underestimate your opponent."'

'And rule number 1?' asked Bishop.

Ash gave a grin. 'Never give up on your Pokémon! Scraggy, go!' Scraggy gave a cry and charged for its opponent.

'Pathetic,' snorted Bishop. 'Panpour, Water Gun!' Panpour snarled and released a barrage of water jets straight at the approaching Scraggy, but the determined Pokémon just used its pants as a barrier, deflecting the attacks and keeping going.

Bishop frowned. 'Fine. Servine, Vine Whip!' The Grass Snake Pokémon unleashed another flurry of long vines, whipping towards Scraggy. Scraggy did not stop for a moment, flipping and dodging around each vine without missing a single beat.

'Scraggy, double Headbutt!' shouted Ash. Scraggy leapt forward, ramming first into Servine, and then into Panpour, knocking both silly for a moment and allowing the Shedding Pokémon to dodge right past them.

'Sigilyph, Psywave!' snapped Bishop. The relentless Pokémon was starting to get on his nerves. Sigilyph's eyes glowed again and blue psychic waves radiated towards Scraggy. This time, Scraggy was caught right in the blast and was pushed back.

'Don't give in, Scraggy!' Ash yelled. 'It's Payback time!'

Mustering up the last of its flagging strength, Scraggy leapt right for Sigilyph, its body glowing with a dark aura. It powered through the Psywave attack so fast that Bishop didn't have time for a dodge order, and the two Pokémon collided with explosive results. The next moment, both Scraggy and Sigilyph plummeted out of the cloud, their eyes now replaced by dazed swirls.

'Well now, a draw,' noted Bishop, regaining his stoic composure. 'But your Pokémon still have fallen, so the ropes must do the same.' Another click of the remote, and another cable disconnected itself, leaving just three remaining.

'In addition, as your team seems to have run out of Pokémon, both of us must exchange our teams,' Bishop declared. Ash nodded as both recalled all their Pokémon, thanking them for all their work.

'Poor Scraggy…' murmured Iris. 'He gave it all for Palpitoad.'

'He'll be fine,' nodded Cilan. 'We all know how stubborn Scraggy is.'

'If Scraggy's anything like Ash and the rest of his Pokémon, they're definitely going to be fine,' smiled Dawn.

'Heatmor, re-engage now!' said Bishop, throwing out his first Poké-ball and releasing a now-clear-headed Heatmor, who despite its injuries, looked prepared for more battling.

Ash reached for his remaining three Poké-balls. 'Alright guys, it's all up to you now. Tepig, Oshawott, Snivy, let's go!' Pitching all three into the air, they exploded and formed into three Pokémon: a small blue-white sea otter with a scallop seashell attached to its belly and a proud look on its face, a small black and red pig with a red snout and curly tail, and a junior form of Servine, a small green snake with a large nose, stubby arms and legs, a long tail with a leaf, and a beige stomach.

Bishop raised one eyebrow. 'All three Unova starters?' he said. 'Rare is the trainer who can obtain all three. But do not think that it will help you! Heatmor, Incinerate!' Once again, Heatmor flicked its tongue, sending streams of flame lashing everywhere at the three Pokémon.'

'Wasn't counting on it,' replied Ash. 'Dodge, now!' Instantly, all three Pokémon shot off in different directions, evading the plummeting streams of fire.

'Oshawott, Water Gun!' ordered Ash. Oshawott released a jet of water from its mouth that extinguished the plummeting streams of flame.

'Snivy, Attract! Stop it cold!' Ash followed up. Snivy winked at Heatmor, and a flurry of pink hearts blew out from her eye, blowing towards Heatmor like a blizzard.

'Attract? Seriously?' snorted Bishop. 'Heatmor, Fire Spin.' Heatmor ejected another cloud of smoke from its tailpipe-tail and breathed out another spiraling cone of fire, incinerating the approaching hearts. Snivy quickly ducked to one side to evade the flames.

'Tepig, Tackle!' called Ash. The small Fire-type barreled through the flames and slammed into Heatmor with all its might, knocking it backwards. Heatmor staggered, but managed to stay on its feet.

'Heatmor, Fire Spin again on Snivy,' ordered Bishop. Heatmor launched another cone of flames towards the Grass Snake Pokémon.

'Snivy, dodge!' called Ash. Snivy quickly ducked out of the way, and the flames collided with the already-charred mat, setting it on fire.

Bishop gave a slow smile. 'Heatmor, you know what to do.' Heatmor gave a growl in response and started blasting the entire field with flame, leaving trails of fire wherever they travelled.

'Huh? What's Bishop doing now?' wondered Dawn. 'Isn't he just wasting Heatmor's power?'

Ash narrowed his eyes, then suddenly widened them in realization, recognizing the field of fire as a tactic he had used himself. 'Oh no, you don't!' he exclaimed. 'Oshawott, Water Gun! Put out the flames!' Once again, Oshawott unleashed another burst of water that swept across the mat, putting out the fire as fast as Heatmor was spewing it out.

'Now, Snivy, Leaf Blade! Tepig, Flame Charge!' Ash called a double attack. Snivy leapt into the air, and came down on top of the flame-spewing Heatmor, tail-leaf glowing with green energy and whirling like a sawblade. At the same time, Tepig stomped on the ground rapidly, building up power as it was engulfed in a cloud of dust, and then charged out of it completely swallowed in flame.

Bishop gave an enquiring glance to the two approaching Pokémon, then nodded to Heatmor. 'Heatmor, Bind Snivy, then use it on Tepig!' Heatmor shut off the spiral of fire and instead lashed out its long tongue, snatching Snivy around the tail. Before Snivy could react, Heatmor hauled it off course and slashed the approaching Tepig across the face, sending it staggering backwards.

'No! Oshawott, Aqua Jet!' Ash shouted, dismayed at Bishop's effortless counter. Oshawott growled and erupted off the ground, engulfed in a trail of water that propelled him right at Heatmor.

'Heatmor, block it,' said Bishop. Heatmor whipped its tongue and shifted the still-incapacitated Snivy into the path of Oshawott. Moving too fast to stop, Oshawott collided with its ally and was sent flying into Tepig. Finally, Heatmor tossed aside the dizzy Grass Snake Pokémon to land next to its partners.

'Wow! Even after all that battling, Heatmor's still in that good fighting shape!' said Tracey, his excitement at the Pokémon overriding his panic at the situation. 'Truly an amazing Pokémon to be sure.'

'Can you complement him after the fight is over?' Iris shouted at the Pokémon watcher. 'Sheesh, it's like Cilan all over again!'

Ash's three Pokémon clambered to their feet. Oshawott now looked distinctly nervous about the whole situation, and tried to back away behind Tepig and Snivy. However, Snivy stretched out two vines and spun Oshawott to face it. Then it started chattering loudly to Oshawott, gesturing to itself, Heatmor, Tracey and Ash. Tepig gave a few cries in agreement. Despite all that, Oshawott still didn't look convinced.

Bishop sniffed in disdain. 'Well, if those three are going to keep arguing, I might as well put them out of their misery. Heatmor, Fire Spin, and take them all out!' Heatmor gave a roar and fired another spiral of flame.

'Guys, get it together!' Ash yelled. 'Look out!' Then, without any prompting from Ash, Tepig stepped in the line of fire and released a Flamethrower attack that caught the Fire Spin dead-on. Both Pokémon pushed violently at each other as their fire attacks struggled for dominance.

Snivy gesticulated at the scene, snapping at Oshawott to get its game together or everyone was going to lose. Oshawott looked at Tepig, straining to hold the fire back, then at Ash, who gave it a nod, and it turned to face Heatmor with a determined expression.

'Okay, Oshawott, Razor Shell!' said Ash. Oshawott removed its scalchop shell from its stomach and held it like a sword, as a blade of watery energy extended from it. Charging at the attack, it swung its blade down and cleaved through the Fire Spin, breaking the stalemate and sending Tepig's Flamethrower right into Heatmor's face, staggering it for a moment.

'That's it, Oshawott!' Ash cheered. 'You can do it! There's no need to hide behind anyone, not when you have faith that you can do it yourself!' Oshawott gave an excited cry, as Snivy and Tepig echoed it. Then, all three started to glow with a sort of aura.

* * *

><p>Well, so much for free time. I'm working as hard as I can on this, so don't worry!<p>

I'll be posting the rest up soon, so please R&R! And please, no flaming!


	13. Chapter 13 Pillars of Power

**Friendship is Eternal**

**A/N: **Ash, Iris and Cilan find themselves pulled away from their journey at the request of one of their old friends. This starts them on a quest that brings back many old faces, a few new ones, and a challenge that Ash must overcome. Exactly what challenge is this? Well, you're just going to have to read to find out!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything Pokémon related whatsoever.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13: Pillars of Power<strong>

Everyone in the room was watching with bated breath as the three starter Pokémon started to pulsate with energy.

'No way…' whispered Khoury. 'Are they…'

'Evolving?' finished Lyra.

But after a few seconds, the glow started to dim and none of the three Pokémon had changed shape. Bishop smirked and shook its head. 'It looks like your plan to overwhelm my Pokémon seems to have fallen short. Heatmor, use Swagger on that Tepig!'

Heatmor growled and bellowed at Tepig, its body glowing red. Tepig, its body still retaining the fiery red glow around it, flinched and its eyes slid into a state of dizziness, stars starting to fly around its head.

Before Ash could do anything about Tepig's confusion, all three of Ash's Pokémon reared up and slammed their arms on the ground, and the glows around their bodies discharged into the ground, generating huge columns of fire, water and a tornado of grass. More columns started erupting in lines that shot towards Heatmor, and while the line of fire columns shot right off course and slammed right into the wall next to Tracey and Bianca, the columns of water and grass started swirling around Heatmor, trapping it in place.

The next moment, the columns surrounding Heatmor converged on it and completely enveloped it in a column of water laced with plant matter. Bishop watched in dismay as the column thickened to resemble something like swamp water, then collapsed to reveal a dazed and weakened Heatmor, its fiery skin steaming from the attack, as the swamp water spread over the whole field.

'No way,' Cilan murmured, 'Fire Pledge, Water Pledge, and Grass Pledge! Ash's Pokémon learned all three pledge moves at the same time!'

Dawn, Lyra and Khoury all looked a bit confused, so he elaborated, 'The three pledge moves are combination moves that activates different effects depending on which two hit. In this case, Grass Pledge and Water Pledge have blended together to form an amazing recipe that slows the enemy by a significant amount.'

Iris rolled her eyes. 'What am I going to do with you?' she muttered.

Ash heard Cilan's advice, and his face broke into a slow smirk. 'Looks like I just opened up a few more options.'

Bishop raised an eyebrow. 'Don't think that these new options is going to give you the edge! Heatmor, boil this off with Fire Spin!' Heatmor growled and started plastering the surface of the swamp with flames, covering the surface with a thick cloud of steam.

'Oh no, you don't!' Ash countered. 'Snivy, Leaf Storm! Oshawott, Aqua Jet!' Snivy rose into the air and twirled around, generating an enormous mass of leaves around its body, as Oshawott rocketed into the air on another trail of water. The speed of the Aqua Jet drew the Leaf Storm into a spinning vortex around it, and as Oshawott approached the Anteater Pokémon, the sodden leaves smothered the Fire Spin. Heatmor tried to evade, but the swampy ground weighed it down too much, and Oshawott rammed into it at full speed. Heatmor went flying, finally landing with a dull splat in the marshy ground next to Bishop, out cold.

'Alright!' cried Lyra. 'He's almost there!'

'Just one more team to go!' agreed Khoury.

Ash gave a victorious smirk at Bishop. 'How d'ya like that? Two more wins, and I'll be getting two more friends back!'

Bishop did not reply, as he recalled Heatmor. 'Fantastic work, my friend. Take a well-deserved rest.' Turning to Ash, he said smoothly. 'Well, I must say I am impressed. Rare are the trainers who can last this long against me and my tactics.'

'I'll take that as a compliment,' replied Ash with a sardonic grin.

'Still, this is as far as you will go!' Bishop declared, taking his two remaining Poké-balls. 'Servine, Panpour, re-engage now!' With two more flashes of light, Servine and Panpour reappeared on the field, prepared to finish the job. The two groups of Pokémon stared at each other menacingly, as did their trainers. The group of onlookers and prisoners weren't even willing to even breathe at the approaching battle.

Bishop made the first move. 'Servine, snare them with Vine Whip!' Servine snarled and lashed out its vines, aiming right at the three Pokémon.

'Dodge, now!' shouted Ash, and both Oshawott and Snivy leapt aside, but Tepig, which was still confused, did not respond in time. The Vine Whip snatched it around its front legs and Servine lifted the smaller Pokémon off the ground.

'Panpour, Aqua Tail!' said Bishop. Panpour leapt for the dazed Tepig, water rings already erupting from around its tail.

'Oshawott, cut Tepig free with Razor Shell!' Ash ordered. 'Snivy, intercept Panpour with Leaf Blade!' As Snivy whirled for the airborne Panpour, its green tail-leaf already glowing, Oshawott snatched its scalchop and jumped for the vines, the shell extending its powerful energy blade. With a swish, it struck the vines and freed its still-dazed comrade, while Snivy and Panpour collided with a bang, sending both flying away from each other.

'Servine, Wrap them up!' Bishop snapped. Servine surged across the swampy ground straight at the three Unova starters, its snake-like body hardly marred by the sticky surface.

'Snivy, Attract!' Ash said, and with a wink, Snivy sent another flurry of hearts at the two Pokémon.

'Again?' muttered Bishop. 'This is starting to get old. Servine, Leaf Tornado!'

Ash's eyes flicked over to Tepig still staggering about in its confusion, and a memory of a Johto Gym Battle with a Ghost-type suddenly came to mind. 'Snivy, throw Tepig into the Leaf Tornado!' Snivy glanced over at its trainer in surprise, but did not argue, grabbing the Fire Pig Pokémon and throwing it right as Servine whirled into another overhead tornado of leaves.

'What the-' Iris started to say. The rest of Ash's friends looked appropriately confused.

The next minute, as Servine started to expel the leaves from its body, Tepig collided with it with a bang. The leaves flew in all directions, dispelling the many hearts, as Tepig flew back to skid beside Snivy and Oshawott. As the two Pokémon looked at its comrade worriedly, Tepig shook its head a couple of times before glancing up, clear-eyed once again.

'No way!' exclaimed Khoury. 'By taking the Leaf Tornado at close range, it cancelled out the confusion!'

Bishop growled. 'Fine. Panpour, dazzle Snivy with your Acrobatics!' Panpour growled and lunged for the Grass Snake Pokémon, flipping, cartwheeling and spinning over the surface of the swamp, so fast that it seemed to be leaving an afterimage of itself behind.

'Dodge it!' yelled Ash, as the three Pokémon already leapt to one side to avoid the flying Spray Pokémon. _This swamp's not slowing these Pokémon down one bit,_ Ash thought rapidly. _I think it's time for a change in venue!_

'Snivy, Tepig, Grass and Fire Pledge! Change the scene!' he shouted. Once more, Snivy and Tepig's bodies surged with power, and they erupted in columns of fire and leaves. Then, they sent a shockwave of columns shooting at Servine, the swamp disintegrating as they passed over it, and before the evolved Grass-starter could blink, it was enveloped in a spinning wheel of fire and leaf columns.

The next second, the columns converged on Servine and the columns of leaves ignited. In a huge blast of power, the columns exploded, sending burning cinders flying over the field, covering the entirety of Bishop's side of the field in fire. Servine cried out as the flames licked at its skin.

'Oshawott, Water Gun on Panpour!' said Ash. As Panpour made another pass, Oshawott launched a burst of water, knocking it out of the air, back into the field of flame. Steam hissed when the Spray Pokémon landed in the flames.

'How about that?' Ash called out. 'That's how you do a field of fire!'

Despite his situation, the only indicator of Bishop's stress was a frown. 'So that's how you want to play? Fine, Panpour, use Taunt!'

Ignoring the heat, Panpour pushed itself upright, glared at the three Pokémon and stuck out its tongue, making a rude gesture towards its opponents. Upon seeing the insult, Snivy started to snarl and step menacingly towards the field of flame.

'Huh? Taunt?' uttered Ash. 'What's that do?'

'It's a move that forces your opponents to attack!' Khoury shouted in answer. 'He's trying to draw Snivy into the fire field!'

'Uh-oh,' said the trainer, seeing the Grass Snake Pokémon suddenly lunge at the two Pokémon, its Leaf Blade attack already primed to strike.

Bishop grinned. 'Perfect. Servine, Squeeze Drain combination!' Servine hissed and leapt for its unevolved counterpart, wrapping it up in a powerful Wrap attack. Landing in the flames, its body started to glow green, and Snivy screeched as its energy was drained away from the attack, as Servine used the energy to heal the damage from the fire.

'Snivy!' shouted Ash in dismay. Oshawott and Tepig gasped at their teammate's plight. 'Oshawott, Aqua Jet! Tepig, Flame Charge! Break Snivy loose!' In a burst of water and a trail of flame, the two remaining Pokémon charged for their opponents, heedless of the field of fire.

Even before Bishop gave his signature smirk, Ash realized his mistake. 'Right where I wanted,' the Checkmate Five's tactician proclaimed. 'Panpour, Acrobatics! Smash them!' Even as the two Pokémon charged into the flames, protected by their own elemental sheaths, Panpour lunged out of the flames, moving so fast its body was a blur.

Ash was torn for a moment, but then for a split second, the weakened Snivy caught his eye, and he instantly knew what he had to do. 'Snivy, Leaf Storm! Full power!' he shouted. In an explosion of leaves, Snivy tore its weakened body free of Servine's grip and shot right for Panpour, using its attack to propel itself. The mass of leaves swirled through the flickering flames, catching light and adding even more fuel to the already-raging typhoon of plant matter.

Before Bishop or his Pokémon could respond, both Oshawott and Tepig had already rammed into the larger Grass Snake Pokémon, halting any chance of it counterattacking, even as Snivy and the mass of flaming leaves went plowing headlong into the somersaulting Panpour. There was a bang and a cloud of dust as the two Pokémon collided, the resulting shockwave blasting away most of the flames.

'Snivy!' cried Ash.

'Panpour!' exclaimed Bishop simultaneously.

When the smoke finally cleared, both Pokémon were flat on the ground in the middle of the smoldering field in a flameless crater, both out cold. Bishop's lip curled. 'It would seem you have scraped another tie, Ketchum. But with the fall of another Pokémon, comes another step towards doom.'

Ash tried not to respond as yet another cable broke away, leaving just two more cables keeping the barbells away from his friends. 'So says the one with just one Pokémon left.'

'True; I had not expected you to make it this far,' admitted Bishop, 'but rest assured, Servine will be more than a match for your two infants.' As if to cement its trainer's statement, Servine gave a menacing hiss.

Ash set his face in a determined expression. 'We'll see about that.' Tepig and Oshawott exchanged glances and nodded.

Bishop recalled Panpour with a flourish, but when Ash tried to recall Snivy, it managed to sit up and shake its head. Realizing what it wanted, Ash placed it with his friends to let it watch the rest of the battle. 'You just rest up, alright?' he said to his Pokémon reassuringly. Snivy gave a weak cry in response.

'Servine, Vine Whip,' said Bishop, starting off the fight. Servine growled and whipped out its two vine appendages, stretching straight for the two Pokémon.

'Tepig, Flamethrower!' Ash countered. Tepig took a deep breath and blasted a searing bolt of fire at the vine attack, causing Servine to hiss and pull them back.

'Now, Oshawott, Aqua Jet!' At his trainer's order, Oshawott blasted off once again in a rocket of water, surging for Servine like a missile.

Bishop gave a smirk. 'You'd be better off leaving that whelp out of this fight, Ketchum! Servine, Bind!' Servine hissed, and leapt for the approaching Oshawott like lightning.

'Look out, Oshawott! Dodge!' yelled Ash. Oshawott gasped as it saw the lunging Grass Snake Pokémon, and immediately shot in another direction, just barely evading Servine's grasping coils.

'Now, Tepig, Ember!' called Ash. Tepig blew out a shower of searing-hot sparks straight at Servine. The Grass Pokémon hissed in pain at the attack, but shrugged it off easily as it landed back on the sizzling field.

'Both of you, Tackle!' Ash said, sending both of his Pokémon barreling towards Servine.

'Servine, dodge now,' Bishop ordered calmly. At the last second, Servine quickly, yet almost casually, stepped to one side, sending both of Ash's Pokémon crashing comically into each other.

Lyra winced. 'Ow! That's gonna leave a bruise!'

Khoury nodded. 'That Servine is just too slippery. If Ash is going to have a chance, he's going to have to find a way to slow it down.'

'But how's he going to do that?' asked Iris. 'Tepig and Oshawott don't have anything that can slow it down. The only chance was that swamp, and not only can they not use it since Snivy's out of commission, but in case you forgot, Servine just glided over it!'

Khoury and Cilan exchanged glances. It was clear that both of them had the same idea in mind. 'Maybe not, Iris,' Cilan said slowly. 'Ash still has one ingredient that he has yet to reveal to Bishop, but who knows if it will make a difference in the end.'

Ash's mind was spinning like a top, trying to come up with a counter-strategy. Only one came to mind.

Unfortunately, Bishop wasn't about to give him a chance. 'Servine, execute Lash Drain combination on both of them!' Servine gave a hiss and threw out its two vines, binding the stunned Oshawott and Tepig before either of them knew what was going on. Then, its body surged with the energy of a Mega Drain attack, and both Pokémon yelled just like Snivy as the energy was leeched from their bodies. Then it raised both Pokémon into the air, clearly planning on hammering both into the ground.

As his Pokémon brought his hapless opponents down, Bishop was about to give his customary smirk, but a sudden glint in his adversary's eye froze the grin on his face. 'No way, Bishop! Tepig, Oshawott, use Fire and Water Pledge! Now!'

Tepig and Oshawott's bodies started to surge with a familiar energy a second before impact, and the moment Servine slammed them into the mat, they discharged the energy into towering columns of fire and water. The columns erupted in a line towards Servine, enveloping it in a circle of flame and water.

Then, the columns converged and engulfed Servine once again, the water extinguishing the flames with a hiss and exploding into a searing cloud of steam. Servine cried out as it was scalded, but a moment later, the steam dissipated, leaving a vibrant rainbow arching over the field.

'Wow! A rainbow!' Dawn exclaimed, the Coordinator side of her entranced by the dazzling display. 'It's like a contest battle!'

Tracey was similarly enamored. 'Incredible!' he said. 'I wish I had my sketchpad!'

Lyra, though, wasn't as convinced. 'A rainbow? What good's a rainbow going to be at a time like this?' she asked.

Cilan and Khoury chuckled. 'Wait and see, Lyra,' Khoury replied with a smile.

Bishop couldn't help but gaze at the rainbow before his tactical mind snapped him back to the battle, but that momentary pause was all Ash needed. 'Now, Tepig, Flamethrower!' he shouted. Tepig again exhaled a monstrous burst of flame right at Servine, which caught it square in the side. Servine screeched and released both Pokémon, its stubby hands going to its side, which Ash could see had been harshly burned by the attack.

'There's your answer, Lyra,' Cilan answered. 'That rainbow enhances the secondary effects of Pokémon attacks, like burning from a Fire-type move. It brings out the vibrant flavor in every Pokémon's recipe!'

'Alright, Oshawott, Razor Shell!' Ash called out. Oshawott drew its scalchop again and leapt for Servine, its energy blade already fully extended.

'Dodge!' Bishop barked out. Servine tried to move, but a flash of pain from the burn on its side froze it in place, and Oshawott brought its blade right down on the Grass Snake Pokémon's head. Servine staggered backwards and fell to one knee, weakened, as Oshawott landed behind it.

'Its defense is down!' Ash yelled. 'Tepig, Flame Charge! Hit it low! And Oshawott, Aqua Jet! Hit it high!' At its trainer's orders, Tepig once again stampeded towards Servine, engulfed in another fiery comet, and Oshawott rocketed off, sheated in its water ram.

Bishop floundered for an idea, but for the first time in a long time, his normally strategy-rich mind came up dry. 'Servine!' he shouted in dismay, even as the flaming Tepig barreled into Servine's legs, while Oshawott rammed hard into the back of Servine's head, catapulting the stunned Grass-type into the air, cartwheeling wildly. It spun in the air for several seconds, almost touching the rainbow above it, before landing with a thud, out cold.

'Alright!' Dawn cried in joy. 'He did it!'

'Great job, guys!' Ash called to his Pokémon, who gave cries of victory before slumping tiredly to the ground. 'Alright, Bishop, a deal's a deal, let my friends go!'

Bishop's expression did not change. 'So it is, Ketchum, so it is.' He pressed the last button, and the shackles holding Tracey and Bianca to the wall broke open, releasing them.

'Yes! We're free! We're free!' Bianca squealed, bouncing around the room excitedly. 'Thank you, Cheren, thank you! Cher…' she trailed off when she saw Cheren recall Servine, nod to it, and head for the door. 'Cheren, where are you going?' she asked, running after him.

Bishop paused and looked back at her. 'For the last time, woman, get it through your head!' he snapped, making Bianca stop in her tracks. 'I am Bishop of the Checkmate Five!' Turning to Ash, he said coldly, 'You may have gotten past me, but there's no way you will make it past the queen!' With that, he exited, sealing the door behind him.

Ash approached Bianca cautiously, seeing her shoulders start to shake. 'Er, Bianca, are you alright?'

'H-he hates me…' Bianca said in a quavering voice. 'C-Cheren hates me!' Almost without warning, she burst into a flood of tears.

'There, there, Bianca,' Cilan soothed, walking up to her and holding out a handkerchief. 'Cheren just isn't himself right now. Once Ash gets through this tournament, I'm sure he'll get back to normal.'

Bianca dabbed her eyes. 'Y-you really mean that?'

'Absolutely!' Ash said confidently. 'Your friend is as good as found!'

'Well, Ash, I'm impressed,' said Tracey, coming up behind him. 'You certainly haven't slacked off since the Sinnoh League, that's for sure.'

'Thanks Tracey, it's good to see you too,' said Ash to his old friend.

'But tell me, what's going on?' Tracey asked. 'The last thing I remember was going to check on your Poké-balls, then Team Rocket laughing as they gassed me.'

'It's a long story, Tracey, I'll tell you on the way out…' said Ash, leading the way for the door. The now-sizeable group of friends followed them.

However, just before she exited, Iris, the last one in line, turned around to look at the wall that Tepig had struck with its Fire Pledge attack in the middle of the battle. A sizeable hole had been blasted in it, and beyond looked to be a corridor of sorts.

'Hmm, wonder where that leads?' she mused to herself. Quickly, she scurried over and squeezed through, disappearing into the shadows.

* * *

><p>I'll be posting the rest up soon, so please R&amp;R! And please, no flaming!<p> 


	14. Chapter 14 Blast from the Past

**Friendship is Eternal**

**A/N: **Ash, Iris and Cilan find themselves pulled away from their journey at the request of one of their old friends. This starts them on a quest that brings back many old faces, a few new ones, and a challenge that Ash must overcome. Exactly what challenge is this? Well, you're just going to have to read to find out!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything Pokémon related whatsoever.

RandomificationChaotic: It may be formal, but it's one of the best reviews I've gotten.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14: Blast From The Past<strong>

'…so the first time I met Cheren was when we both met Professor Juniper to apply for her assistants, and then she sent us both out to do field research. Cheren's okay; he's a great trainer, but he's such a bookworm, and he only goes out when Professor Juniper asks him to. Me, I just go out and have my own adventures with my Pokémon…'

Ash bit back a groan as Bianca paused for breath. All he asked was how he knew Cheren and Bianca instantly went into his entire life story. He shook his head and kept one ear on her conversation for politeness's sake, while the rest of his mind kept running over more battle strategies. It was the fourth battle for his friends, and he couldn't afford to slack off now.

'So that's the story,' Tracey said musingly, 'we've been captured as bait.'

'Yeah,' replied Dawn, 'but don't say anything about this to Ash,' she gestured quickly to the determined trainer a short way ahead of the rest of them, 'he's beating himself up about this enough as it is.'

'Don't worry, I won't say a word,' answered Tracey assuredly.

Dawn smiled at that. 'You know, Ash talks about his old friends a lot, and he keeps saying how amazing an assistant you are to Professor Oak. I wish our first meeting could've gone better.'

'That makes all of us,' Cilan chipped in. 'It seems like only yesterday Ash was introducing all of you to the two of us. Oh wait, it was!'

The others chuckled at that, but for some reason Cilan felt like something was missing…

* * *

><p>Iris looked around at her surroundings as she subconsciously rubbed her sore limbs. Squeezing through the fairly small hole was not a fun experience in the slightest.<p>

As her eyes became accustomed to the unlit area, she found herself in a small corridor lined with doors. A few had the smallest of chinks of light peeking out from under their cracks.

'Hmm, wonder what's behind these doors?' she wondered to herself. 'Maybe our Pokémon are somewhere here!'

Without wasting any time, she tried the first door. To her relief, it was unlocked, and she quickly poked her head around the door.

She found herself in what appeared to be a lavish hotel room, which puzzled her for a moment until she remembered this was once a luxury cruise liner. Aside from the furniture, the room was completely empty, with no evidence that anyone was using it.

For some reason, Iris's eyes were drawn to a small jewelry box sitting on the otherwise bare desk on one side of the room. Walking over, she popped it open, and took out a small yellow glass ball attached to a cord like a pendant. Inside the ball, Iris could almost see a small electrical spark dancing inside it, like it was alive.

'Wow, pretty!' Iris exclaimed, staring into the ball and watching the spark intently. She was so entranced by the moving energy inside the small ball that she did not see someone look into the open doorway…

* * *

><p>'Hey, where's Iris?' Lyra suddenly noticed. 'I thought she was behind you!'<p>

'Hey, don't look at me!' Khoury denied vehemently. 'I was in front of you the whole time!'

Everyone looked around, but there was no sign of the girl anywhere. 'Where do you think she went?' wondered Dawn. 'There was nowhere else to go in that room.'

'Oh, don't worry!' Bianca said perkily, placing her arms around Dawn and Cilan. 'I'm sure we'll find Iris soon! Now, come on!' She shoved the two of them down the corridor, past Ash and right through the doors.

Ash shook his head. 'Once a ditz, always a ditz,' he muttered to himself.

In short order, Ash managed to get the group to the ballroom again, and as the others explained to Tracy and Bianca about the procedure, Ash replaced his Poké-balls once again. This time, when the new set of Poké-balls appeared, Ash found himself meeting a set of Pokémon very familiar to him: a small blue-skinned creature with a green bulb on its back, a large mass of purple sludge with a large-mouthed face, an enormous, rotund black-and-white bear Pokémon, a muscular three-tailed bull, a large red-and-white crab with an even larger left claw, and an enormous, orange-skinned dragon with a flame on its tail.

Ash felt himself smile. 'Bulbasaur, Muk, Snorlax, Tauros, Kingler and Charizard,' he said proudly, 'some of my very first Pokémon. How've they been, Tracey?'

'They're fine, Ash,' Tracey said, 'some of the best Pokémon food Professor Oak has made and good training has kept them in excellent condition. Although you really should visit them once in a while, Ash.'

Ash felt the grin slide off his face slightly. 'Yeah, I probably should…'

'Looks like it's an all-Kanto team this time,' Cilan said, looking over Ash's shoulder at the Pokédex, 'but wow, Ash, I had no idea you had this many Pokémon,'

'Me neither,' added Lyra, 'you've certainly been through a lot.'

'Lyra,' Ash said, turning once again for the door, 'you don't know the half of it.'

This time, when Ash returned to the multitude of doorways, the queen was the next one lit. Remembering the brunette girl that told him to just give up only incensed Ash further as he strode through the door. Still, he couldn't help a small nagging in the corner of his mind that the girl was somewhat familiar…

Ash and his friends found themselves heading up a long staircase that seemed to lead upwards to the deck of the ship, and soon enough, that was exactly where it went. They emerged onto the bright sun of the deck at the front of the ship, and standing at the very prow, on the other side of a large battlefield, was the Queen of the Checkmate Five, her brown hair fluttering in the breeze.

'Well, I must admit, I am surprised to see you here,' she said with a lilt to her voice. 'I would've thought Hunter, Brand, and Quinn would've at least been a challenge for you.'

'When it comes to my friends, nothing is a challenge, only an obstacle. I will rescue them even if it kills me,' Ash declared firmly.

'Oh? Then I'm certain for these friends, you'd go even farther than death for them,' Queen answered, gesturing to one side. Ash looked, and to his horror, he saw a familiar red-haired girl and spiky black-haired man sitting at the edge of the field, tied up in a length of chain.

'Misty! Brock!' Ash called out.

'Ash!' Brock called out. 'You're here!'

'Ash Ketchum, tell your old friend to let us out of here this instant!' Misty shouted, struggling against the chains.

That stunned Ash for a moment. 'Old friend? What are you talking about?'

A chuckle from Queen made him look back. 'Oh, come on, Ashy boy, don't tell me you forgot your old friend, now, did you?'

Upon hearing his old nickname, Ash's eyes widened as the memories came flooding pack, as he remembered the only person other than his rival Gary that would call him that: a girl whom the two of them had shared their childhood with…

'…it's you,' Ash breathed in amazement. 'Leaf, it's you!'

Queen's face turned stony. 'Yes, it's me,' she said coldly, 'your "old friend" whom you haven't contacted in 5 years! Did you forget that promise you made?'

'N-no!' Ash stuttered, 'I just was busy!' The others all glanced between Ash and Queen. Was there something between them a long time ago?

'Busy? Doing what? Flying all over the world with your new friends?' replied Queen harshly, 'Save your sorries; it's time to battle!' She drew a Poké-ball with a flourish, 'and watch your friends take a long trip into Kyogre's Locker!'

That made Ash's expression harden. 'No-one's going to hurt my friends, Leaf, not even you!' he declared, grabbing a Poké-ball of his own. 'Name your challenge!'

'A simple full 6-on-6 battle, all one-on-ones,' replied Queen smoothly, 'Mid-battle substitutions are denied, but post-battle substitutions are enforced; so whenever a Pokémon faints, both trainers must switch Pokémon, and that's the only time one can switch. Any more questions, Ashy boy?'

'None here, Leaf,' Ash answered determinedly, 'Let's get it on.'

Queen arched an eyebrow. 'Prepare to be crushed, then. Parasect, light it up!' With a flourish, her Poké-ball released a large red crab-like Pokémon with two huge claws, oddly blank white eyes, and an enormous spotted mushroom sitting on its back, covering it like a shell.

Ash tossed his Poké-ball as well, shouting, 'Bulbasaur, I choose you!' In a flash of blue light, the blue dinosaur-like Pokémon with dark spots and a large green bulb sprouting on its back. Although small, this Pokémon had been with Ash all through his Kanto and part of his Johto journey, and as such was one of Ash's true veterans.

Queen's other eyebrow joined the first. 'A Bulbasaur? Starting off slow, Ketchum? Big mistake. Parasect, Stun Spore!' Parasect clicked its claws and aimed its mushroom at Bulbasaur, releasing streams of orange dust at its opponent.

'Dodge and use Razor Leaf!' Ash ordered. Bulbasaur jumped backwards, out of range of the dust, and then fired a barrage of spinning leaves right at the Mushroom Pokémon. Parasect wasn't quick enough to dodge, but although battered by the leaves, it barely flinched.

Queen shook her head. 'You'd think that 5 years of Pokémon training would at least teach you about type advantages, Ashy boy,' she admonished. 'Let me show you. Parasect, Psybeam.' Parasect's white eyes sparkled with psychic energy, and then bursts of glittering rainbow energy erupted from them.

'Look out, Bulbasaur!' Ash called out. Bulbasaur just barely managed to evade the two attacks.

'Gotcha,' Queen murmured. 'Parasect, Stun Spore again!' Parasect unleashed another stream of sparkling orange dust, and this time Bulbasaur, off balance from the previous attack, couldn't dodge in time. It received a faceful of the dust and instantly froze in place.

'Now use Swords Dance!' Queen said. Parasect gave a raspy call and waved its claws in the air, making them glow a bright red as it powered up its attack.

'That's some strategy,' Cilan remarked, 'by paralyzing its opponent with Stun Spore, Parasect can charge up with its Swords Dance without fear of a counterattack.'

Lyra sighed. 'Since Iris isn't here right now, I'll just say this: could you please be impressed some other time?'

'Come on, Bulbasaur, move!' Ash shouted at his Pokémon, but all the Seed Pokémon could manage was a few feeble spasms.

Queen smirked. 'I expected this to go on longer. Oh well…Parasect, X-Scissor! Wipe it out in one strike!' Like a bullet, Parasect lunged forward, its claws now sheathed in huge, glowing blades of magenta and blue energy, heading straight towards its incapacitated target.

However, a few seconds before impact, Bulbasaur gave an almighty wrench and twisted its body out of the way just enough for Parasect to sail harmlessly past.

'Alright, Bulbasaur!' cheered Ash. 'Use Vine Whip!' Bulbasaur let out a cry and lashed two long vines from its sides. The vines wrapped around Parasect as it was scrabbling to turn around, and then Bulbasaur lifted it off the ground, flung it around, and slammed it hard to the deck.

'Alright! Ash has the upper hand!' cheered Dawn.

Tracey's eyes were narrowed in thought. 'That may be, Dawn, but with Bulbasaur's arsenal of mainly Grass-type attacks, Ash won't be able to land a decisive blow, and with Parasect knowing Psybeam, it may be able to knock out Bulbasaur in one shot.'

'But doesn't Bulbasaur know any Poison-type moves?' asked Khoury. 'I know that Parasect is weak to them from its Grass-typing.'

'Not that I'm aware of,' Tracy replied.

Queen's lip curled at this. 'You think you just can out-muscle Parasect? Not a chance! Psybeam again!' Once more, Parasect fired a blast of psychic power that hit dead-on, forcing Bulbasaur to let go.

'Now follow up with another X-Scissor!' Once again, Parasect leapt for Bulbasaur, pincers glowing and ready to slash.

This time it was Ash's turn to grin. 'Big mistake. Bulbasaur, Sleep Powder!' A second before impact, Bulbasaur's bulb started to spew waves of sparkling silver powder at its opponent. Parasect received a faceful and its stark white eyes started to cloud over as its movements became more sluggish.

'Now eat this. Take Down!' Ash yelled. Bulbasaur growled and hurtled forward, ramming into Parasect with all its might. The Mushroom Pokémon flew the length of the deck before skidding to a stop in front of Queen, its pale eyes now sporting swirls.

'Yes!' Lyra cried in victory. 'Ash takes the first round!'

'Wow, impressive,' nodded Tracey. 'Although Parasect has incredible attack potential, it just doesn't have enough defense to keep up with it.'

'Great job, my friend,' said Queen quietly, recalling her Pokémon. 'Well, Ketchum, what are you waiting for? Recall your Pokémon already!'

'Yeah, yeah, I got it,' Ash answered, drawing Bulbasaur back into its Poké-ball and grabbing another one. 'Take a break, Bulbasaur, and let's go, Snorlax!' In a flash of light, a huge, rotund black bear-like Pokémon with thick arms, short legs, and a white belly appeared on the field. It had a drowsy look on its face, but Ash knew that hidden under all that fat was a lot of power.

'Pulling out the big guns already, Ashy boy?' commented Queen, cocking her head. 'Then let's bring out the bigger guns! Gyarados, light it up!' She threw her Poké-ball into the air, and it released an enormous sea serpent with blue and beige scales, white fins along its back, and a ferocious-looking mouth lined with fangs. It curled up on the deck with a roar, preparing to attack.

'Oh boy,' murmured Ash as his friends tried not to freak out at the sight of the Atrocious Pokémon. Even the normally placid Snorlax seemed unnerved.

Queen smirked. 'Let's see that oversized ball of lard handle this! Gyarados, Waterfall!' Gyarados bellowed as a wave of water erupted from beneath it, then it lashed forward at the Sleeping Pokémon.

'Look out, Snorlax!' Ash shouted. 'Harden!' Snorlax braced itself as its body suddenly flashed a white color. Gyarados rammed into its belly, sending water flying everywhere, but all that happened was that Snorlax skidded back a few feet.

'Snorlax, use Ice Punch!' Ash followed up. Before Gyarados could back out of range, Snorlax slammed it with a powerful right hook that glistened with icy power. The water around the Atrocious Pokémon crystallized into frost that encrusted its body, slowing it down.

'Now give it a Body Slam!' Ash finished. Snorlax gave a bellow and threw itself forward, ramming into Gyarados with the force of a crashing 18-wheeler. The ice coating shattered as Gyarados reeled back, but a few seconds later, it shook its head and fixed Snorlax with a fearsome glare.

'What? Body Slam didn't do a thing!' exclaimed Dawn.

'That Gyarados has some superb stamina to be able to stand up to Snorlax!' said Tracey in amazement. 'I wish I had my sketchbook!'

'Indeed!' Cilan agreed. 'Queen's Gyarados truly is in a fantastic condition – ow!' He bit off when Lyra slapped both of them upside the head.

'For the last time, could you two stop praising the opposition's Pokémon?' she shouted at the two of them. 'And that goes for you too!' she snapped to a snickering Khoury, who promptly clamped his mouth shut.

'That all you got?' said Queen with a sniff. 'Hardly worth my time. Gyarados, Hydro Pump!' Gyarados let loose with a mighty torrent of water aimed right at Snorlax's face.

'Dodge and use Hyper Beam!' Ash yelled in response. Snorlax managed to duck out of the way in time, the Hydro Pump flying clear over the ship and out of sight. It then breathed deeply and retaliated with a searing beam of pure energy from its mouth that streaked right at Gyarados.

'Show them a real Hyper Beam, Gyarados!' countered Queen smoothly. Gyarados gathered its own energy and let loose an energy blast of its own from its maw. The two blasts collided in mid-air and cancelled each other out in a colossal explosion, sending both Pokémon staggering backwards from the shockwave.

'Wow! What power!' exclaimed Dawn.

As both Pokémon glared at each other, trying to catch their breath, Ash was quickly formulating his plan. A memory of another old battle, this time with a certain Arena Tycoon came quickly to mind.

'Alright, Snorlax, Ice Punch, fast!' he shouted. As it was first to fire, Snorlax recovered first and lashed forward, its paw once again glowing with icy energy. It crashed into Gyarados's belly, and in a flash of light, Gyarados was frozen in a block of ice from its neck down.

'Now, Hyper Beam towards the ground!' Ash called. With another powerful roar, Snorlax unleashed another beam blast towards the deck. The whole ship shuddered as the powerful energy burst pushed against the reinforced deck, propelling Snorlax straight into the air.

'What the-' all of Ash's friends started to say.

Brock blinked. 'Wait a minute…is this…?'

'Now, full-power Body Slam!' Ash yelled, even as Snorlax curled into a ball and plummeted like a breaching whale towards the incapacitated Gyarados.

'Hey!' Brock exclaimed. 'I've seen Ash use this move before!'

Ash watched his victory get closer and closer, but suddenly he was startled by Queen's grin. 'Nice try, Ashy boy, but no dice! Gyarados, Bounce!'

Gyarados tore its tail loose from the ice, curled it under itself, and then flexed it with a jerk. In a shower of ice crystals, Gyarados ripped free of the remaining ice and shot up like a rocket, quickly passing the falling Snorlax.

'No!' yelled Ash.

'End game,' Queen said. 'Gyarados, wipe it out with Waterfall!' Like a meteor, Gyarados changed direction and shot for Snorlax. It made contact with the Sleeping Pokémon's back and hammered it into the ground in a vicious pile driver attack.

Everyone held on for dear life as Snorlax smashed into the deck like a meteor, sending a shockwave through the entire ship and kicking up an enormous cloud of dust. When it finally cleared, Gyarados was roaring in victory on top of a battered and unconscious Snorlax, in the middle of a crater of shattered wood and dented metal frame.

'And so comes your first casualty,' said Queen, 'and with it, one more step towards your friends' demise.' Like her predecessors, she also pulled out a remote control, and this time when she pushed it, a loud clank filled the air.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound, to see an iron anchor suspended in mid-air from a small boom arm hanging over the ocean. The anchor was latched to the boom by six clamps, with one already hanging open, and attached to the anchor was a long length of chain that lead all the way back to Brock and Misty, tied up and unmoving.

It did not take a genius to figure out what would happen if Ash lost.

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><p>I'll be posting the rest up soon, so please R&amp;R! And please, no flaming!<p> 


	15. Chapter 15 Exchanging Blows

**Friendship is Eternal**

**A/N: **Ash, Iris and Cilan find themselves pulled away from their journey at the request of one of their old friends. This starts them on a quest that brings back many old faces, a few new ones, and a challenge that Ash must overcome. Exactly what challenge is this? Well, you're just going to have to read to find out!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything Pokémon related whatsoever.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15: Exchanging Blows<strong>

Ash didn't waste time with any more threats; he'd gotten the gist easily enough. 'Good job, Snorlax,' he said, withdrawing the unconscious Sleeping Pokémon back into its Poké-ball, watching as Queen did the same.

'That Gyarados is something else,' Tracey commented, 'taking down one of Ash's strongest Pokémon like that.'

'Indeed,' agreed Khoury, 'Ash is going to need a killer strategy to pull this off.'

'Don't worry,' Dawn said confidently, 'From the way Ash's been battling, I'm sure he can pull out one soon!'

Ash sucked in a breath as he watched Queen pull out one of her Poké-balls, reaching for his own. 'Ninetales, light it up!' she shouted, tossing the ball and unleashing a large fox with yellow-white fur, a furry crest, and nine, fluffy-white fox tails with orange tips.

'I choose you, Muk!' Ash responded, hurling his Poké-ball, which burst open and revealed a Pokémon that resembled nothing as much as a huge blob of noxious, purple slime with a pair of eyes, an enormous, gaping mouth, and a pair of large arms, its left arm slightly bigger than its right. It gave a happy bellow as it was released to the air.

Queen gave a cough at her opponent. 'Fighting dirty, Ashy boy? Then it's time for me to clean your clock. Ninetales, go!' With a snarl, Ninetales darted across the deck towards the pile of sludge.

Ash's expression twitched. 'I'm starting to get really sick of that nickname. Muk, hit it with Sludge Bomb!' Muk sucked in a breath and belched, sending purple gobbets of sludge flying out of its mouth right at Ninetales.

'Faint Attack!' snapped Queen. Ninetales suddenly vanished from view in a flare of speed, suddenly re-appearing behind Muk. It smashed into Muk's goopy body from behind, but merely bounced off as the slime making up Muk's form absorbed all the impact.

'Nice try, Leaf,' said Ash. 'Muk, Body Slam!' Muk gave a moan, raising its arms, and simply falling backwards, trying to smother the Fox Pokémon in its slimy bulk. With a yelp, Ninetales scampered out of the way before the Sludge Pokémon flattened it.

'Got to slow it down,' muttered Ash. 'Muk, Sludge Bomb again!' Once again, Muk opened its mouth, but instead of purple bombs, it instead launched a barrage of brown balls that splattered against the deck in showers of mud. One managed to strike Ninetales, covering its furry body in mud. 'Or Mud Bomb, that works too…'

Ninetales angrily pawed at its once-furry body, now sodden with mud. Queen gave a huff. 'Ninetales, forget the close range! Use Will-o-Wisp!' Ninetales spread its tails and focused, a blue ball of flame appearing at each tail tip. Then with a howl, it whipped the ethereal fireballs straight at Muk. Being as sluggish as it was, Muk couldn't dodge, and was blasted with a barrage of flame. Groaning, Muk staggered back, and already Ash could see that the flames had singed portions of its swampy body.

'Don't let up, Ninetales. Fire Spin!' Ninetales opened its mouth and released a searing blast of spinning fire, which impacted the deck in front of the Sludge Pokémon. Muk bellowed as flames surrounded it, trapping it in place.

'Muk, no!' Ash shouted.

'Not good,' said Brock, 'with all those special attacks, Muk can't use its body to defend itself!'

'Now finish! Fire Blast!' Queen barked out. Ninetales's mouth flickered with flames, and then with a mighty howl, it let them fly as a spectacular blast topped with a five-pointed star. Everyone shielded his or her faces from the heat.

'Look out, Muk! Intercept with Poison Gas!' Ash shouted out. Muk's body inflated as it breathed in, then it released a cloud of dark, toxic gas in front of it. The Fire Blast flew right into the cloud of gas and detonated the whole mass in a giant fireball of an explosion. When the dust finally settled, the entire field was smoking and smoldering, there was a giant scorch mark in the center of the deck, and there was no sign of Muk.

'What the- where did Muk go?' murmured Lyra.

'Omigosh! Ninetales blew it to bits!' shrieked Bianca.

Just then, there came a bellow, and everyone looked up to see Muk plummeting out of the sky, badly singed but unwilling to give up. Before anyone could react, Muk's gigantic left arm started to glow brightly, and it slammed it down on Ninetales's head, sending it staggering back as Muk landed right in front of it.

'Wow, that was Brick Break!' exclaimed Khoury.

'Alright, Muk, finish it off! Sludge Bomb!' Ash yelled.

'Ninetales, Grudge,' responded Queen solemnly. Ninetales's black eyes suddenly flared purple, and the same glow enveloped Muk's body a second before it blasted out its toxic bombs at point-blank range. Ninetales went flying in a barrage of purple explosions to sprawl in front of its trainer, dazed and unable to battle.

'Alright!' cheered Dawn and Lyra. 'Ash is in the lead!'

'Maybe for now,' snapped Queen, recalling Ninetales and thanking it for its work. But when Ash tried to recall Muk, the flames still on the deck rose up and blocked the light from the Poké-ball.

'Uh-oh,' he said, realizing that Ninetales's Fire Spin attack had trapped Muk from being recalled, and with Muk panting away, it was a respite that Muk desperately needed right now.

Queen quirked her head as she reached for her next Poké-ball. 'Strategy, Ketchum. Make use of it. Now, Jynx, light it up!' In another flash of light, a humanoid female Pokémon with purplish skin, long blond hair, and large lips wearing a red and yellow dress appeared on the field.

'A Psychic-type?' groaned Tracey. 'Just what Ash _doesn't_ need!'

'Ice Punch,' ordered Queen. Jynx raised one of its white-gloved hands, clenched it, and lashed forward, its fist glowing with cold energy.

'Muk's not going down without a fight!' Ash said. 'Sludge Bomb!' But when Muk tried to launch its attack, all it released was a loud burp. Everyone flinched as Jynx continued on and nailed Muk right in the head, completely flash-freezing its slimy body.

'What *cough* happened?' choked Lyra, trying to wave away the stench.

'I *gasp* dink it was Ninedales's Grudge,' answered Khoury, pinching his nose shut, 'Id compledely de-powers de attack dat was used do defead id.'

'Now Confusion,' said Queen. Jynx's eyes glowed a brilliant violet colour, and the frozen Muk glowed in response. Then Muk lifted off the ground, floated 10 feet into the air, and then dropped like a stone back onto the deck. Muk landed with a crash, melting to the ground amidst the ice shards, out like a light.

'Oh, what a shame,' said Queen. 'Another Pokémon down, and another step towards the brink.' With another click of her remote, another clamp snapped open, leaving only four clamps stopping the anchor from pulling Brock and Misty into the ocean.

'Ash, you'd better not lose!' Misty shouted at him, 'or I'll haunt you for the rest of your life!'

'I'm not going to lose,' Ash replied, with such certainty that Misty was taken aback. 'Great job, Muk, rest up,' he said, recalling his Pokémon, while Queen again recalled Jynx. 'I choose you, Tauros!' In a burst of light, Ash released his three-tailed, brown-furred bull Pokémon, with a huge mane of fur, huge metallic horns, and studs on its head. It pawed the ground, ready for battle.

'Interested in raw power again, Ashy?' Queen said. 'I think I can oblige you this once. Nidoqueen, light it up!' The Poké-ball snapped open to unleash a huge blue dinosaur-like Pokémon with large ears, a number of horns, and powerful-looking plate armor covering the whole of its body. It stood on its hind legs and flexed its heavy tail, ready for battle.

Ash immediately had a flashback to an identical battle several years ago in the Johto League, with his Tauros and a Nidoqueen, a battle he lost. _Until I'm sure of Nidoqueen's strength, going head to head isn't an option. I'm not making that mistake twice_, he thought to himself. 'Tauros, Fissure attack!' Tauros lowed out as it stomped one hoof on the deck, a shockwave of force rattling the deck and shooting right at Nidoqueen.

'Nidoqueen, cancel it out with Earth Power,' instructed Queen. Nidoqueen's body took on a golden sheen, then it smashed one fist into the ground. Golden cracks fissured from the impact and spread across the deck. The Fissure attack ran right into the cracks and faded away.

'Now use Poison Fang!' Queen called. Nidoqueen's lower jaw started to glow purple as it lunged forward, mouth open wide.

'Look out, Tauros, use Double Team!' Ash countered. Tauros instantly duplicated into a dozen after-images side by side. Nidoqueen kept its charge up, but just passed through the one it was aiming for, revealed to be just an illusion.

'Now counter-attack! Take Down!' Appearing to the side of the Drill Pokémon, Tauros gave a bellow and stampeded for Nidoqueen, a golden after-trail behind it.

'Use Superpower and block it!' snapped Queen. Nidoqueen turned at the last second and caught Tauros's charge with both arms, its body glowing blue as it pushed back with equal strength.

'Now throw it!' Queen said. Nidoqueen growled and gripped Tauros's horns, preparing to heave it off the ground, but Tauros pushed back, unwilling to give it any leverage. The next moment, Tauros's horns and forehead studs started to glow with a shining blue light, which forced Nidoqueen to let go. Tauros seized its chance and barreled forward, plowing past Nidoqueen and sending it stumbling to the side.

'Was that Zen Headbutt?' said Khoury in amazement. 'Perfect timing!'

Brock allowed himself a smile. 'Ash is really learning from his last battle,' he said to himself. 'He's trying to use Tauros's agility and speed alongside its raw power to win!'

Queen scowled. 'Don't let up, Nidoqueen! Give it a Body Slam!' Nidoqueen roared and lunged for the recovering Tauros, swinging around and smashing it with its tail hard, sending it staggering backwards.

'Show it some real muscle, Tauros! Horn Attack!' Ash called out. Tauros regained its footing and charged, lowering its head and ramming its horns right into Nidoqueen's chest. Nidoqueen stumbled backwards with a groan, its chest armor dented in two places, but otherwise unharmed.

'No…' moaned Dawn, 'Nidoqueen's armor is too thick! Tauros can't inflict enough damage!'

_So much for my original plan_, thought Ash, _Tauros cannot use enough indirect damage, but with Nidoqueen's Superpower, there's no way Tauros can outmuscle it. But wait…maybe I don't need to…I just need the right position._ With his plan outlined, he shouted, 'Tauros, Take Down!'

Dawn blinked. 'Didn't Ash hear me?'

As Tauros lowed and barreled right at Nidoqueen like a locomotive, Queen merely scoffed and said, 'Nidoqueen, use Superpower and flatten it.' The Drill Pokémon, already glowing with energy, caught the charging Wild Bull Pokémon with hardly any effort.

Queen smirked, tasting victory, but Ash grinned, about to add a bad taste. 'Right there,' he whispered. 'Now, Tauros, use Fissure!' With a tremendous bellow, Tauros slammed its hoof against the ground and unleashed the powerful white shockwave. At such close range, Nidoqueen could not evade the one-hit-knockout attack, and the shockwave blasted it clear off the ground, to land with a thud in front of Queen, unconscious.

'Great job, Tauros!' cheered Ash. Tauros bellowed, its tails swishing about.

'Excellent strategy!' exclaimed Tracey. 'By getting in close, Tauros could unleash its one-hit-knockout when Queen least expected it!'

'Awesome! Ash is three to two!' said Lyra.

'Well, I think that will soon change,' said Queen coldly, recalling Nidoqueen with a flourish and patting it gently. 'Gyarados, light it up again!' In another flash of light, her giant sea serpent Pokémon emerged onto the field with a bellow, wiping the smiles off all the onlookers' faces.

Ash's eyes narrowed. _With Snorlax out, there's only one Pokémon I can really trust to get this job done._ Grabbing for a Poké-ball, he threw it, shouting, 'Bulbasaur, I choose you!' A flash of blue light later, and the small Seed Pokémon appeared on the field, looking patently puny compared to Gyarados. Ash could almost have sworn he saw a smirk cross Gyarados's face.

Queen, on the other hand, was not amused in the slightest. 'Are you mocking my Gyarados by playing such a pitiful Pokémon?'

Bulbasaur and Ash scowled in unison. 'How's this for pitiful?' Ash retorted. 'Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf!' Bulbasaur cried out and fired a series of spinning leaf blades right at Gyarados, but the Atrocious Pokémon barely flinched as the leaves scraped at its scales.

Queen rolled her eyes. 'Gyarados, put it out of its misery with Hydro Pump.' Gyarados took a deep breath and sent its blast of water flying right at Bulbasaur.

'Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip to dodge!' Ash countered. Bulbasaur lashed out a vine towards the railing, lassoing it and pulling itself out of the way of the torrent.

'Don't think you can run, Ashy boy!' Queen called out. 'Gyarados, roast it! Flamethrower!' With a roar, Gyarados breathed out a long tongue of fire, blazing right at the Seed Pokémon. With a cry of dismay, Bulbasaur frantically scampered out of the way of the fire attack.

'Oh great!' Misty exclaimed. 'It's like my own Gyarados!'

'Now what?' Lyra asked. 'With that sort of attack, Gyarados can inflict major damage!'

Ash had to think fast. 'Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip and get in close!' Leaping into the air, Bulbasaur lashed out its vines and snagged Gyarados around the neck, then drew them in, hauling itself up towards Gyarados's face.

As it got close, Ash shouted, 'Now Sleep Powder!'

'Oh no, you don't!' Queen countered. 'Throw it, Gyarados, and use Hyper Beam!' The Atrocious Pokémon tossed its head, sending Bulbasaur swinging straight up into the air and causing it to lose its grip. Then it reared up and launched a devastating blast of energy at the airborne Grass/Poison-type.

'Bulbasaur!' Ash yelled. 'Dodge roll and use Leech Seed!' Quickly in mid-air, Bulbasaur tucked in its legs and head and rolled forward, just barely dodging the burst of energy. When its bulb faced Gyarados, it launched a small seed straight at Gyarados, which embedded itself square in the Water/Flying-type's forehead. The next second, leafy vines sprouted out of it and wrapped around its head. As Bulbasaur landed behind it, the vines glowed red and Gyarados roared as its energy was drained away.

'No, Gyarados!' cried Queen in dismay.

'Alright!' Dawn cheered. 'With that Leech Seed, Bulbasaur has a chance!'

'Bulbasaur, time for a Solarbeam!' called Ash. The Seed Pokémon planted its feet, raised its bulb to the sun, and yellow sparkles started to flow into the small opening on the top as the bulb absorbed the sun's energy. With Gyarados still de-powered from the Hyper Beam, it couldn't do a thing as the small Pokémon powered up.

'Gyarados, come on!' shouted Queen. 'Use Waterfall and blast it away!' Pooling its remaining strength, Gyarados flared another burst of water around its tail and swatted Bulbasaur away from behind it, sending it crashing into the railing of the ship.

Unfortunately for Queen, Bulbasaur landed where its bulb was aimed right at Gyarados's face. 'Fire!' yelled Ash, and with a cry, Bulbasaur let loose a searing beam of solar power that blasted the Atrocious Pokémon square in the face. Gyarados reeled back, roaring from the pain, which was only compounded by another flash of draining energy.

'Yes!' Bianca cried out. 'He's got it won!'

'I wouldn't think so, Ms. Lunalux,' called back Queen. 'Gyarados, Flamethrower again!' Gyarados shook its head a few times, then let loose with another blast of flame that this time hit its mark, sending Bulbasaur flying.

'Bulbasaur!' shouted Ash as the Seed Pokémon landed on the ground, blacked from the attack but still able to continue fighting. Gyarados loomed over it, prepared to deliver the final blow, but once again, it winced as its energy was sapped away by the Leech Seed.

Ash took his chance. 'Bulbasaur, another Solarbeam fast!' Bulbasaur gave another cry, absorbing the sunlight as fast as it could.

'Don't let up, Gyarados!' shouted Queen. 'Hyper Beam, now!'

Gyarados let out a roar, but was still hit with one last energy draining jolt before it let loose another powerful energy blast. That brief pause was long enough for Bulbasaur to fire a second blast of gold solar power.

Both energy beams, however, rocketed past each other and struck their respective targets dead-on. Everyone shielded themselves from the blast of heat and power that radiated from impact, and when everyone finally looked, both Bulbasaur and Gyarados were collapsed on the deck, out cold.

'Another double knockout?' exclaimed Lyra. 'Is every battle going to involve at least one of these?'

Queen shook her head. 'Win or lose, you still lost another Pokémon, so…' she trailed off as she clicked off another shackle, and Brock and Misty gave another cry as their end by anchor loomed ever closer. '3 more losses and Mr. Stone and Ms. Waterflower take their very last swim. Care to surrender and just save them the suffering, Ashy boy?'

Ash gritted his teeth. 'No way, no how, Leaf. I'll save my friends, and I'll save you too!'

* * *

><p>Professor Juniper looked at her watch anxiously, waiting for a message to get to her. It had been several hours since she and the other professors had heard something had gone wrong, and they had all flown to Professor Oak's laboratory to figure out what had happened.<p>

Professor Birch was seated at the table, worrying about the state of his son, while Professor Rowan paced around the office, awaiting news.

Just then, the door opened and Professors Oak and Elm, along with Officer Jenny, entered the room. A blue-skinned turtle Pokémon wearing a pair of angular sunglasses trotted in behind them.

'Any news?' asked Juniper, as her fellow professors stood up.

'I got in touch with Silph Co. and got a subpoena for the Pokégear IPs of Liza, Ethan, Brock, Lyra and Khoury,' replied Officer Jenny.

'We've managed to triangulate the location to a single point in the middle of the Medietan Ocean, about an hour's flight from here,' said Oak. 'I've already chartered the fastest boat available to take us there.'

'So what are we waiting for?' said Birch, jumping to his feet. 'Let's get going and rescue our kids!'

'Calm down, William,' spoke up Rowan. 'I'm as worried about the kids as you are, but we can't just go rushing blindly in. Officer Jenny, do you have anything organized?'

'I've notified the Pokémon Coast Guard and they're organizing a team now, but it's going to take them a while.'

'In the meantime, I've notified two of my best trainers to come and lend a hand,' said Juniper. 'In fact, they should be here right about…now.'

Right on cue, a Pokémon's cry called out, and everyone looked outside to see two flying Pokémon, one resembling a huge orange eagle, and the other resembling a yellow, blue and green-feathered lizard-bird, land outside the ranch house. The next moment, two human figures hopped off their backs and walked up to the group. One was a boy with messy brown hair hidden under a red-white-and-black baseball cap, wearing grey trousers, a thick blue blazer and red sneakers. The other was a girl with thick, wavy brown hair barely hidden under a white cap, wearing a black vest over a white top, blue jean shorts and pink-and-black boots. Both of them carried shoulder-strap bags and had C-Gears attached to their wrists.

Professor Juniper smiled. 'Hilbert, Hilda, great to see you two again.'

* * *

><p>I'll be posting the rest up soon, so please R&amp;R! And please, no flaming!<p> 


	16. Chapter 16 Dilemma

**Friendship is Eternal**

**A/N: **Ash, Iris and Cilan find themselves pulled away from their journey at the request of one of their old friends. This starts them on a quest that brings back many old faces, a few new ones, and a challenge that Ash must overcome. Exactly what challenge is this? Well, you're just going to have to read to find out!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything Pokémon related whatsoever.

Lightningblade49: I guess it was a bit obvious…

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 16: Dilemma<strong>

'Don't waste your time, Ashy boy,' said Queen calmly as both trainers drew in their Pokémon again, pausing to thank them. 'We all know your recklessness will eventually be the death of you and your friends. Jynx, light it up again!' In another flash of light, the Ice/Psychic hybrid appeared again on the field, swishing its long hair about.

Ash took a breath. 'When it comes to my friends, Queen, don't underestimate what I'm capable of! Kingler, I choose you!' The Poké-ball burst open and the released light formed into a massive orange-and-white crab-like Pokémon, with crown-like spikes, a huge lower jaw, two large eyes and a pair of orange pincers, its left pincer nearly as big as its own body.

'Never very subtle, are you, Ashy boy?' sighed Queen. 'Jynx, Confusion.' Jynx's eyes glowed once again, snaring the Pincer Pokémon in its psychic grip and hauling it off the ground.

'Now give it a Lovely Kiss!' Queen followed up. The Human Shape Pokémon glided forward like a ghost, its overly large lips pursed.

'Kingler, Bubblebeam!' Ash retorted. A moment before contact, Kingler opened its mouth and released a stream of shining blue bubbles right into Jynx's face. Jynx made a sound that sounded oddly like a splutter and backed off, its concentration lost, dropping Kingler back to the ground.

'Now, Kingler!' Ash called. 'Get in close and use Crabhammer!' Kingler scuttled forward, its massive claw raised and already starting to glow white.

'Jynx, quick, use Avalanche!' Queen took her turn to counter. Jynx's eyes started to glow white, it lifted its arms, and its hair rose into the air as if it was filled with static. Masses of snow and ice started to form above its head, swelling to the size of a car.

Kingler's attack landed home as it slammed its claw down on the Human Shape Pokémon's head, sending it stumbling backwards, but that caused it to release the mass of snow and drop it right where it was standing. Kingler did not have time to react before it was buried under half a ton of snow and ice.

Queen chuckled at her opponent's predicament. 'Now, Jynx, get in close and finish it with Confusion!' Jynx glided forward, eyes glimmering with psychic energy and ready to unleash another burst of psychic energy.

'No way!' shouted Ash. 'Kingler, stop it with Vicegrip!' When Jynx was only an arm's length away from the pile of snow, Kingler's gigantic left claw suddenly burst out and seized Jynx around the neck, using its many limbs to dig itself out of the pile.

'Look out, Jynx!' called Queen. 'Lovely Kiss!' Jynx immediately made to pucker up, but Kingler would have none of it. To the astonishment of anyone, its smaller, free claw clenched and it suddenly took on a vibrant metallic sheen. Before Jynx or its trainer could counter, it had landed the _sweetest_ right hook that Ash had ever seen right in Jynx's mouth, sending it flying backwards to crash in front of Queen.

'What?' sputtered Lyra. 'What was that?'

'Amazing!' Tracey said, eyes gleaming. 'That must've been the cleanest Metal Claw I've ever seen!'

Ash allowed himself a small grin. 'Alright, Kingler! Vicegrip again!' While Jynx was still reeling from the powerful attack, Kingler scuttled forward, snatching Jynx again around the neck, this time with its smaller claw.

'Now, finish it! Crabhammer!' Ash bellowed.

'Mean Look!' barked Queen. Even as Jynx's eyes flashed purple and launched rings that froze Kingler for a split second, the Pincer Pokémon's glowing giant claw swung up in a powerful uppercut, sending the Human Shape Pokémon flying, finally crashing in front of Queen, out like a light.

'Yes!' cried Dawn in glee. 'Just one more to go!'

'How about that, Leaf?' called Ash. 'I'm getting my friends back!'

Queen did not respond as she recalled Jynx. 'Don't worry, my friend, you have done an amazing job.' Fixing Ash with a deadly glare, she snarled, 'You've gotten farther than most trainers can claim, Ashy boy. That'll be far enough! Venusaur, light it up!'

Even as Ash recalled Gary's familiar taunt in their last battle, he watched the released burst of light form into Bulbasaur's final evolved form, a huge turquoise dinosaur-like Pokémon with a ferny, pink rafflesia-like flower the size of a satellite dish growing out of its back. Just the look in this Pokémon's eye told Ash that this was Queen's starter, and the literal veteran of her team.

He swallowed, knowing Jynx's last tactic would prevent him from recalling Kingler, who was already looking grim. 'So that's who took the Bulbasaur,' he muttered to himself. 'Kingler, if we're going down, we're going down with a bang! Metal Claw!' With a growl, Kingler lunged forward, both claws already glowing with their metallic sheen.

Queen gave a menacing grin. 'Venusaur, crush that crab with Vine Whip!' The huge Seed Pokémon bellowed and lashed out a series of powerful vines.

'Look out! Harden!' yelled Ash. Kingler hastily stopped its charge and its hard carapace flared with blue energy. The vines crashed against its shell, and the Pincer Pokémon was sent skidding back.

Queen shook her head. 'Futile. Venusaur, grab it and slam it!' Venusaur growled, whipping the ends of its vines around Kingler's feet and yanking it off the ground. The next second, Venusaur just started thrashing the Pincer Pokémon, slamming it against the deck like it was a child's toy. Everyone winced at the sheer brutality of the attack. Finally, Kingler was thrown through the air and sent sprawling in front of Ash, its eyes now spirals.

'Kingler no!' exclaimed Ash. Queen merely smirked, unshackling one more latch and leaving the anchor swinging with just two more ties.

'Oh great,' moaned Khoury. 'I knew Queen's last Pokémon would be powerful, but not _this_ powerful!'

'Believe me, it is,' replied Brock, overhearing Khoury's comment. 'I remember battling against it all those years ago, and she managed to knock out both my Pokémon without even switching. Even with a type advantage, my Pokémon are usually enough to back new trainers up against the wall, but this girl and her Bulbasaur fought with a discipline I'd never seen before.'

'Same here,' added Misty. 'My sisters told me about this girl who knocked out all their Pokémon with hardly a sweat.'

'And that all adds up to Ash having his work cut out for him,' Brock said grimly, 'but if anyone has a shot, it'd be Ash.'

'Great job, Kingler,' Ash said, recalling his unconscious Pokémon. 'Since you don't have any more Pokémon to switch with, let's get this on! Go, Tauros!' In another flash of light, the Wild Bull Pokémon reappeared on the field, snorting, stomping and raring to go again.

Queen gave a snort. 'Give me a break. Venusaur, get things started with Poisonpowder!' Venusaur growled, the flower on its back sending a wave of toxic purple dust surging towards Tauros.

'Blast through with Zen Headbutt!' shouted Ash. Tauros bellowed and charged forward, forming its shield of blue energy over its head to try and protect it against the poisonous dust. It rammed right into Venusaur's face, sending the larger Pokémon stumbling backwards.

Despite that, Ash still saw Tauros choking and snorting after the attack, as if some dust still made it into its systems. Queen saw this too. 'Got it! Venusaur, Venoshock!' The huge Seed Pokémon shook its head a few times, then spat out a greenish stream of poison at Tauros. The Wild Bull Pokémon received a faceful of the toxic liquid and staggered backwards, moaning in pain.

'What the-?' exclaimed Ash.

'Venoshock is a move that causes even more damage if the target is poisoned,' Cilan called out, 'and that Poisonpowder seems to have done just that!'

Everyone gasped at that. 'That means Ash doesn't have much time before Venusaur or the poison takes Tauros out!' realized Dawn.

Ash watched his Pokémon's body flare with purple energy as the poison took its toll, knowing that it must've been in agony. But he couldn't stop now. 'Tauros, use Double Team and then Take Down!' Tauros snorted and stomped its feet, multiplying into a dozen illusory copies. The next second, they all barreled towards the enemy trailing lines of power.

'Venusaur, flatten them all with Vine Whip!' Queen barked out. Venusaur bellowed as an entire canopy of vines exploded from beneath its ferns, lashing out at the multitude of Tauroses. As the decoys vanished from the strikes, the real Tauros managed to slip through and get in close, smashing into Venusaur from the side.

'Now, Fissure!' Ash yelled out. Tauros bellowed, and slammed its hoof on the ground again. But this time, the powerful shockwave shot right through the Seed Pokémon's legs to shatter in front of Queen, exploding in a shower of metal and wood.

'Leaf!' Ash exclaimed, even as Venusaur muscled Tauros out of the way. 'Are you alright?'

As the dust cloud cleared, Ash could see an extra-large hole in the ground in front of Queen, torn up from the Fissure attack, but what really caught Ash's attention was the mechanism in the hole. Queen was now shown to be standing on a platform, which was tied to the ship's structure with 6 lengths of steel cable, but unlike the latches holding the anchor to the boom, 5 of them had already been severed.

'Leaf? What are you standing on?' Ash called.

Queen gave a wan smile. 'I guess I forgot to tell you about this element. It's just something to make sure I do my job right. For every one of my Pokémon you beat, one of these cables is automatically severed. And just so you know, what I'm standing on…is a catapult.'

Everyone gasped as they realized the implication. If Ash did manage to beat Queen, the last cable would snap and send her flying right into the ocean. And with her mind already addled enough to participate in this tournament, the odds were that her self-preservation instinct was suppressed enough to make sure she stayed there when it did.

'That's just a fun fact, but don't let it stop you from beating me and freeing your friends,' Queen said nonchalantly, as if she was not teetering on the brink of death. 'Now, Venusaur, Sunny Day!' Venusaur growled and launched a white orb from its flower, which shot into the air and started to glow brightly.

When Ash didn't immediately respond to this, Brock shouted, 'Ash, now's not the time to freeze up! Just battle!'

'But…but if I win, I kill her!' Ash protested. 'And if I don't, I kill you!'

'While you're stuck with all this indecision,' Queen interjected, 'Venusaur, Synthesis!' By now, the glow overhead had intensified to the power and heat of the sun, and Venusaur's body started to glow brightly, absorbing every iota of power to heal its battered body.

'Ash!' screeched Misty. 'Don't you stop now! The Ash Ketchum I know wouldn't stop if any of his friends were in danger!'

'Yeah, Ash!' called Dawn. 'Remember Alamos Town? You managed to save everyone there! You saved the whole Gracedia Valley and all the Shaymin! You even managed to save Arceus! I know you can save everyone here!'

As some of the others blinked at Dawn at her statements, Ash tried to process her statements, but Tauros let out another groan as its body flashed with purple energy, the poison starting to take its painful toll.

Before he could give an order, Queen cut him off. 'If you're done with your little cheerleading session, Venusaur, use Solarbeam!' Once again, Venusaur started to absorb the energy from the sun, but this time, the energy started focusing in the center of its flower as it built up energy for its most powerful attack. With the blazing sun overhead, it was soon at full charge and the entire flower had turned white.

'Fire!' Queen shouted, and with a bellow, the beam of white-hot solar energy was launched right at the choking Wild Bull Pokémon. Weakened as it was, Tauros had no chance of dodging and was blown clear off the field, straight towards its trainer. Ash was bowled over by the Wild Bull Pokémon slamming into him and he was thrown back to sprawl on the ground, as Tauros crumpled to the ground in front of him, unconscious.

'Ash! Tauros!' exclaimed everyone.

Groaning, Ash sat up. He saw his cap lying nearby, which had been knocked off by the impact, but his main concern was his Pokémon, which lay there groaning in front of him. 'Tauros, are you alright?' he cried, scrambling to its side. When he received a weak groan in response, he said, 'Don't worry, just rest up. I'll take care of the rest.' With that, he recalled it.

'Man, that Venusaur is something else,' said Tracey. 'Between the Sunny Day, Synthesis, and Solarbeam, it practically took out Tauros without even breaking a sweat!'

'Indeed,' replied Cilan. 'Ash is going to have to come up with a killer strategy if he wants to get through this.'

'That may be,' nodded Khoury, 'but from what just happened, I just hope Ash has it in him to use that killer strategy, otherwise someone will be killed for real!'

'La di da,' sang Queen mockingly as she clicked off yet another shackle, leaving only one remaining. 'Come on, Ashy boy, aren't you going to fight and save your friends, and punish me in the process? If not, I might as well just release the anchor now…'

'Shut up.' The sheer, barely-restrained fury in Ash's voice made Queen choke on her next words. The young trainer reached for his cap, slowly fitted it back on as he stood up, and then yanked it backwards. 'I've had enough of you insulting me. Believe what you want, but I will save my friends, and you, Leaf. No question about it.' One could almost see flames dancing in his eyes as he glared at his adversary.

He snatched his last Poké-ball from his belt and enlarged it. 'I'm counting on you, old friend. I choose you, CHARIZARD!' he bellowed the last word as he hurled the ball with all his might. In a flash, it released a huge orange dragon with blue leathery wings, sharp claws, a long neck, and a huge tail with a flame as hot as Ash's determination burning at the tip. It gave a roar and faced off against its Grass-type counterpart.

'Yes!' Brock exclaimed. 'Ash still has a chance!'

'A type advantage won't save you, Ashy boy!' snapped Queen. 'Venusaur, Poisonpowder again!' Once again, the huge Seed Pokémon released its cloud of toxic dust right at Charizard.

'Charizard, fly up and use Dragon Rage!' Ash countered. The huge Flame Pokémon spread its massive wings and shot up into the air like a rocket, the powder flying right under it. Once it was high enough, it opened its maw, breathed in, and unleashed a blast of searing blue fire right at Venusaur.

'Venoshock, fire!' shouted Queen. Venusaur spat out another blast of green poison at the Flamethrower, which ignited and blew the attack away, cancelling it out.

'Wow! Talk about an even match!' exclaimed Bianca, watching the fireworks.

Ash's eyes briefly flickered over to Queen and he knew he had to do something. 'Charizard, Steel Wing on Venusaur!' With a growl, Charizard dove, its huge wings spread and taking on a metallic sheen.

'Venusaur, stop it with Vine Whip!' called Queen. Venusaur flared its ferns and released 6 vines that lashed through the air towards the charging Fire-type. Without stopping, Charizard tore through the vines.

'Now, grab Queen!' Ash yelled. Charizard blinked at the order, but changed direction and shot straight for Queen. But the giant Seed Pokémon instantly lashed out a 7th vine from its back and lassoed Charizard's tail before it reached the trainer.

Queen clicked her tongue mockingly. 'Attacking the trainer? I never thought you'd stoop that low. Venusaur, Poisonpowder again!' Venusaur bellowed and pulled on its vine, hauling Charizard in; at the same time it released another burst of toxic dust right at the Flame Pokémon.

'Charizard, Flamethrower!' shouted Ash. With a growl, Charizard breathed out a long tongue of flame that not only incinerated the flames, but also forced Venusaur to relinquish its grasp.

Charizard swooped back to Ash's side and fixed him with an inquisitive glance. Ash looked right back. 'Charizard, I know what I'm trying to do isn't right, but if Leaf stays there, she'll be killed if we win. We have to get her away from there!' Charizard understood and nodded.

'You won't stop me, and you won't save your friends!' Queen shouted furiously. 'Venusaur, Solarbeam!' With the sun burning bright overhead, once again, Venusaur unleashed its blast of pure, superheated, solar power straight at Charizard.

'Charizard, block with Steel Wing!' barked Ash, and Charizard quickly swept its glowing silver wings over itself. The blast powered into it but the metallic coating on its wings blocked the worst of the attack.

'Now, Poisonpowder!' snapped Queen. Even as Charizard pulled back its wings, Venusaur released a third burst of powder in its direction. This time, Charizard got the full force of the attack, and it shuddered as its body absorbed the toxin. Then it roared in pain as it flared with purple energy, the poison starting to take its toll.

'Charizard, no!' yelled Ash.

'Venoshock!' Queen followed up with the second part of her combo, and Venusaur let loose with another blast of toxic power, blasting Charizard with green liquid that brought it to its knees. The Flame Pokémon roared in pain as the flame on its tail started to flicker.

'Suffer!' shouted Queen. 'Suffer like I have! Suffer like the rest of the Checkmate Five!'

'Suffer?' repeated Lyra. 'What in the world is she talking about?'

'Didn't you remember that promise we made, Ashy boy?' cried Queen, a look of anguish crossing her face. 'We promised to journey together! You and me! When we first got our Pokémon from Professor Oak! You promised!'

Ash was conspicuously silent. His friends looked between them anxiously.

Queen glared at him. 'But you overslept! You forgot our promise!' she yelled at him. 'And then you went travelling with these other people!' She gestured at Misty and Brock furiously. 'You exchanged them for me!'

'What?' exclaimed Misty and Brock. 'That's not right!' Ash didn't respond.

'And the others! Rook, Knight, Bishop and King! You took away their friends for your own journey!' She pointed at all the rest. 'So now, I'll take away yours!'

'Hey! That's not true!' Dawn shouted at Queen. 'Ash didn't take me away from Lucas! He had his own journey to worry about, and Professor Rowan's job!'

'Yeah! Cheren was busy with Professor Juniper, just like I was! Ash didn't take me away from him; I'm usually by myself!' cried Bianca.

'Ethan wanted to make it on his own!' Lyra called. 'We promised to travel together only if he made it to the League!'

'We're his friends!' Khoury added. 'He wouldn't forget us, and we wouldn't forget him! We just want to head on our own sometimes!'

'No.' Ash's voice made everyone stop. 'She's right.'

'Ash?' murmured Tracey.

'I did forget.' His voice was quiet, melancholy, sad, 'and it was only now that I remembered. But even if we haven't contacted each other in years, doesn't mean that you're not my friend any more. You're still my friend, as are all the new ones I've made over my journey, and I'll be damned if I let any one of you die!' His voice rose to a fevered level as he yelled, 'I'll save all of you! This I swear!'

As if mirroring the passion in his trainer's voice, Charizard let out a roar with the remains of its flagging strength. But no sooner had another flash of poison coursed through its body, than its body started glowing with a searing red aura, as the heat around it rose to the temperature of a volcano. Its tail flame, before only a fraction of its normal intensity, suddenly seemed three times as big.

'Whoa!' cried Dawn. 'Is that…'

'Yeah! That's Blaze, Charizard's Ability!' said Cilan in amazement. 'All its fire attacks are now supercharged!'

The next second, Charizard's eyes started to glow bright red and it shot into the air like a rocket. Flames started to leak out of its mouth, its tail flame grew to the size of its body, and then, a titanic rush of white-hot fire streamed out of its mouth, shooting right at Venusaur.

'Holy – that's Blast Burn!' yelled Tracey, stumbling back from the heat. 'That's the strongest Fire-type move ever!'

'Look out, Venusaur!' yelled Queen, even as the Seed Pokémon motored its feet and lunged out of the way. The blast of flame slammed into the deck, searing the wood and metal frame and almost melting it apart, but even so the sheer heat still singed Venusaur badly. As the flames died down, Charizard breathed heavily, starting to sink lower in the sky, compounded only by another surge of poison.

Queen gritted her teeth, her clothes blackened slightly from the flame. 'You are not going to beat me, Ash Ketchum! I will finish you, then I'll finish your friends! Venusaur, Solarbeam now!' With a growl, Venusaur started to absorb the sun's power, but Ash suddenly noticed it was going much slower. He glanced up, and saw the sun's light covered by clouds.

'Charizard, can you still fight?' he called to his Pokémon. Although on its very last legs, Charizard gave a growl in affirmation. 'Good. So get ready. We're going to save my friends.'

By now, Venusaur had fully charged its flower and was poised to fire. 'Finish them, Venusaur! Fire!' shrieked Queen, as Venusaur let off its own beam of searing-white solar heat.

'Flamethrower!' yelled Ash right back. A moment before impact, Charizard let out another long tongue of flame that caught the beam dead-on and exploded both in a huge cloud of smoke. The next second, the Flame Pokémon exploded out of the cloud, shooting past Venusaur in a heartbeat.

'What? NO!' screamed Queen a moment before Charizard snatched her in its arms, sweeping her off the platform.

'Now, Blast Burn!' Ash roared. Before Venusaur could respond to its trainer's predicament, Charizard whirled around, and with a roar as loud as its trainer's, it let loose with a final meteoric blast of flame that blew right into Venusaur's back, sending it flying right across the field in an explosion of fire and smoke. A clank suddenly cut through the air, and Charizard was suddenly ducking a swinging catapult arm as it sprang up from the deck.

Everyone scrambled out of the way as the massive Seed Pokémon sprawled to the deck in front of them, blackened, singed, and out like a light. Charizard swooped around, and landed next to Ash, breathing heavily. With a final grin to its trainer, it sat down hard, Queen still cradled in its arms.

Ash rushed over to examine his friend. Queen's eyes were closed, and her clothes were in bad condition, but she was relatively uninjured, and her chest rose and fell quietly.

'Ash!' cried his friends, rushing over. As Ash took his friend from Charizard's arms and recalled his Pokémon, Cilan found the remote and found the right button to unshackle Brock and Misty, while Khoury recalled Queen's Venusaur into its Poké-ball.

'Yes! We're free!' cried Misty, standing up and rubbing her chafed arms.

'Is she okay?' Ash asked Brock, the doctor in his friend taking over as he examined Queen.

'She's fine, just unconscious. That final attack must've knocked her out when Charizard grabbed her.'

'Thank goodness,' Ash breathed, wiping sweat from his brow.

'You were great out there, Ash,' Brock praised, patting his old friend on the shoulder, 'but can someone tell me what in the world is going on here?'

'Ketchum!' suddenly yelled a voice, and everyone looked up to see the signature white cap of the last member of the Checkmate Five, King, standing on the roof of the bridge of the ship, towering above them. 'I'd never think you'd beat Queen in a million years, but since you have, your last challenge awaits! Get up here now!' With that, he stepped out of sight.

'I'll tell you after this,' answered Ash, heading for the nearest ladder, the fire in his eyes not fizzling out one bit. It was time to end this.

* * *

><p>Phew! What a chapter! Well, uni for me's going to start soon, so updates will be a bit delayed, but make no mistake, this story will be finished!<p>

I'll be posting the rest up soon, so please R&R! And please, no flaming!


	17. Chapter 17 Battle Royale

**Friendship is Eternal**

**A/N: **Ash, Iris and Cilan find themselves pulled away from their journey at the request of one of their old friends. This starts them on a quest that brings back many old faces, a few new ones, and a challenge that Ash must overcome. Exactly what challenge is this? Well, you're just going to have to read to find out!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything Pokémon related whatsoever.

RandomificationChaotic: Point noted, and I'll do my best and deliver.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 17: Battle Royale<strong>

'Aaah! The dark twerpette's loose!' Iris jumped and spun around to see the three members of Team Rocket staring at her through the door.

'Well, don't just stand there, grab her!' screeched Jessie. At once, all three of them lunged straight for the girl, but Iris was fast. She leapt onto the bed out of the way, leaving the three stooges crashing straight to the ground. Nimbly, she bounced off James's back and was out the door in a heartbeat.

'James, Meowth, you imbeciles! You let her get away!' she heard Jessie scream as she raced down the corridor, pocketing the small ball she found. She looked around frantically for a place to hide and escape, and soon found a door that was slightly ajar. Hearing Team Rocket's footsteps approaching, she dove in.

'_Axew! Axew!_' came a cry as she ducked into the room and shut the door, and she gasped when she saw her Axew locked in a cage on top of a small table. Around it were a small pile of Poké-balls that Iris could only assume were those belonging to Ash's captured friends.

'Axew!' cried Iris, hurrying over to her Pokémon. 'It's good to see you too. Don't worry, I'll get you out of here.' Looking around, she was suddenly aware that Pikachu wasn't in the room with them. 'Axew, where's Pikachu?'

Axew squeaked and pointed to the door. 'You mean someone already took it?' realized Iris. At Axew's nod, she started looking through the pile of Poké-balls for her own. 'Come on, we've got to find the others and get out of here!'

Suddenly, the door was thrown open. 'Hah! Found ya!' came Meowth's victorious shout, as Iris spun around to see Team Rocket framed in the doorway, Jessie's furry blue Woobat and James's dark purple Yamask hovering beside them.

'Alright, little girl, just come with us and we won't have to hurt you,' Jessie said menacingly. 'Oh, what the heck, we'll hurt you anyway! Woobat, Air Slash!'

'Yamask, Shadow Ball!' James followed up. Both of Team Rocket's Pokémon let out cries, sending blue wind sawblades and purple-black energy orbs hurtling at Iris.

'Aah!' Iris cried out, ducking out of the way as the projectiles exploded against the back wall. Disoriented from the attacks, she blindly reached out and grabbed a handful of Poké-balls from the pile. 'Go!' she yelled, throwing them out in flashes of light, praying that the Pokémon inside would be friendly.

'_Blaziken!_'

'_Mamo!_'

'_Corsola!_'

_'Pignite!'_

'_Gabite!'_

'_Croaak!_'

'_Scyther!_'

* * *

><p>When Ash arrived on the roof of the ship's bridge, he found himself standing at one end of a proper Pokémon battlefield, which appeared to be the main arena for the entire ship. Spectator bleachers lined the sides of the field, and standing at the other end was the last member of the Checkmate Five, King, his white cap blowing slightly in the breeze.<p>

'So it finally comes down to this, eh, Ketchum?' King called. 'I fully expected to not battle at all and leave it to Ms. Woodward at best, but you've surpassed the expectations of all the bosses. But your journey ends here, that I guarantee!'

'Cut the theatrics, King,' Ash snapped. 'I've rescued all my friends so far, and I'll rescue the last two from you! So spill it: where are May and Max?'

King chuckled darkly. His eyes flickered over to where Khoury and Brock were lifting an unconscious Leaf up the ladder to join the rest of the group. 'Right here!' he shouted, clicking his fingers.

No sooner had Brock set foot on the deck than a metal cage suddenly sprang out from around them and a metal plate flipped on top, locking them in place. The next moment, the cage started to rattle and slowly rise into the air. Ash stared as another cage rose from under the deck, this one containing two very familiar shapes, one in a red tunic and green bandanna, the other in a green shirt and glasses.

'May! Max!' Ash shouted. 'Guys!'

The two captives gasped when they saw Ash. 'Ash!' Max yelled in panic. 'Help! Get us out of here!'

May's eyes looked over to King. 'Brendan! What are you doing? Stop it!'

An evil laugh suddenly filled the air. 'Don't waste your breath, girly.' Everyone looked for the source of the laugh, and finally fixed on a box in the bleachers, undoubtedly reserved for VIP viewers. Sitting in the box were the four bosses, Giovanni, Maxie, Archie, and Phoebus, a pink Pokémon with an odd shell-like crown standing behind the Team Galactic boss.

Giovanni stood up. 'Your friend isn't getting out of this mess, and neither are the rest of you brats! Finally, the thorn in our sides is getting pulled out!'

Ash snarled at the bosses. 'When I beat your King, I'm coming for you! You'll pay for taking my friends!'

'Hey, hey! Eyes on me, Ketchum!' snapped King, clicking his fingers. 'You want to save your friends, face me in a full 6-on-6. Your Poké-balls are in that case over there.' He pointed to Ash's left, where a large red case rested on the deck.

Ash walked over and opened the white-topped case, but the section was empty, only containing 6 indentations. Sighing, Ash placed all 6 of his Poké-balls in the case. Then, the case beeped, it automatically shut, and then a panel on the side slid aside, revealing the last set of his Poké-balls. But Ash immediately spotted a problem.

'Hey! There are only five Poké-balls! How can I fight a 6-on-6 with only 5 Pokémon?'

King sardonically chuckled. 'Yes, we did notice that. Well, far be it from me to give you an unfair fight, so, I'll let you use your precious partner for this fight.' The next moment, a panel on the other side of the case hissed and fell open, and a small yellow shape rolled out. It sat up, slightly dazed.

Ash gasped. 'Pikachu!' He rushed to his partner, gathering it up in its arms and giving it a hug. 'You're okay!' Pikachu squeaked a reply, hugging Ash back.

'Aw, how touching,' sneered King. 'But can we get a move on already?'

Ash glared at his adversary. 'Then quit standing around and send out your first Pokémon already!'

King gave an evil grin. 'As you wish, Ketchum. Everyone, get this party started!' He pulled open his pack, and to Ash's amazement, hurled all 6 of his Poké-balls into the air at once!

The balls burst open in rapid succession, deploying King's Pokémon to the field. One by one, they appeared: a giant black and grey dinosaur-like Pokémon with three horns and a body that looked to be covered in metallic plate armor, a large gnome-like Pokémon with a pointed nose, a body that looked to be made of wood, Japanese-clog-shaped feet, a white mane of hair and leaf-like hands, a huge, red-furred camel-like Pokémon with short, sturdy legs and humps resembling volcanic craters, a pink-skinned humanoid Pokémon wearing what looked to be thick pink pants and an odd yellow-dotted headdress, a huge blue-skinned dragon with a white belly, three gill-like crests on the sides of its head, and a pair of red axe-shaped wings, and, to Ash's chagrin, a large blue-and-orange Pokémon that resembled a huge frog, with massive arms, huge grey crests and tail, and orange gills.

'H-hey!' Ash exclaimed. 'What are you doing sending out all your Pokémon?'

'Oh, I guess I forgot to mention,' King replied smugly. 'When I said a full 6-on-6, I meant that you send out all 6 of your Pokémon _at the same time_. That's right; this is going to be a Pokémon Battle Royale!'

Ash was aghast. This wasn't like any battle he'd ever been in; this would be straight-out war.

'A Battle Royale?' exclaimed Brock in horror. 'But that's illegal! The Pokémon League outlawed it because of the sheer chaos it created; many Pokémon got severely injured in the melee!'

'Exactly,' Cilan agreed, 'only the Elite Four would use such a training method, and even then only amongst themselves or the truly worthy!'

'Ash, you can't agree to this!' Misty called out. 'This is insanity!'

'I know, Misty' Ash said, pulling his hat down determinedly, 'but it's an insanity I have to take if I'm going to save all of you!' In one smooth motion, he grabbed all 5 of his Poké-balls from the case. Knowing all his Pokémon and the pattern the battles had gone, he instantly knew which 5 he held in his hand.

'Sceptile, Torkoal, Corphish, Swellow, Glalie, I choose you all!' he yelled, tossing all of them in the air at once. In bursts of light, Ash's Hoenn team appeared: a huge bipedal green lizard with a bush-like tail, 6 yellow seed pods on its back, leaf-like protrusions on its arms, a red jaw, and a twig sticking out of its mouth, a large tortoise-like Pokémon with a shell that resembled a lump of coal, red skin, and smoke spewing out of its nose and cracks in its shell, a smallish orange-and-white lobster-like Pokémon with six legs and a pair of small but strong pincers, a largish dark-blue bird with yellow and red markings and a pair of sharp talons, and an icy black head with pointy ears and sharp teeth that looked to be covered in a layer of ice. Pikachu instantly stepped up to join them in the line-up.

'Alright, guys, this will be the hardest battle we've ever faced,' Ash called to his team, 'so prepare for a serious battle.' His Pokémon glanced at their opponents, then back at him and nodded grimly.

'I think winners will go first,' said King. 'You guys can't beat my fighting style! Aggron, strike them with Shrapnel Burst!'

'Huh?' uttered Ash. 'What sort of attack is that?'

'Shrapnel Burst?' repeated Cilan, tilting his head. 'There's no such attack!'

The next second, Aggron stepped forward and gave a roar, and thousands of stone shards appeared around it, orbiting its body in two rings. Then, they all went flying towards Ash's team at high speeds.

'Wha-' gasped Brock. 'Look out, Ash! That's a Stone Edge attack!' His warning came too late, as the razor-sharp stones pelted Ash's team. All of them dove aside to try and avoid the worst of the attack.

'Now, Shiftry, high-speed Stealth Strike! Camerupt, mow 'em down with Body Check!' King shouted. Shiftry vanished in a blur of speed, and sent Sceptile, Pikachu, and Swellow flying with rapid-fast blows. At the same time, Camerupt charged for the group, an energy trail behind it, and Torkal, Corphish and Glalie went tumbling as it bulldozed through.

Ash's mind was whirling as he tried to keep up with the pace of the battle. He recognized the attacks as a Faint Attack and Take Down, but he had no idea what King was up to with those weird names. 'What's with all the attack names?' he shouted at his opponent.

'Like them?' King laughed. 'My Pokémon and I have trained intensely with me using codenames for all their attacks. They know exactly what I mean, but everyone else doesn't, which gives me the edge in this fight!'

Ash gritted his teeth. His Pokémon were all reeling from the attacks, but he had to get his head together or they'd be demolished. 'Okay, Swellow, Aerial Ace on Medicham! Corphish, Crabhammer on Camerupt! Sceptile, Leaf Blade on Swampert! Glalie-'

Too slow, Ketchum!' King shouted, cutting Ash off. 'Medicham, grab them all with Mind Snare!' Medicham put its hands together, and in a move Ash recognized as Confusion, its eyes flared with color and all three of Ash's attacking Pokémon froze in their tracks.

'Shiftry, Leaf Shuriken! Salamence, Emerald Gale! Swampert, Crystal Shot!' King barked out in rapid succession. Shiftry unleashed a spinning barrage of razor-edged leaves that battered against Corphish. Salamence breathed out a burst of greenish wind that blew Sceptile backwards, and Swampert spat out a small ball of ice that shatterd and knocked Swellow for a loop.

'Pikachu, Thunderbolt! Torkoal, Flamethrower! Glalie, Ice Beam!' yelled Ash in an attempt to imitate his opponent. Blasts of electricity, bursts of flame, and tri-beams of icy energy lanced through the air from the three Pokémon towards the opposing team.

'Aggron, intercept them all! Magnet Core!' King shouted. Aggron stomped into the path of all three attacks and took them all on its metal skin, wincing at the force of three attacks at once. As the attacks sizzled over its body, it put its claws together and focused a ball of white energy in between them, the energy from the attacks channeling into it. Memories of a certain Steel-type using Gym Leader suddenly came to the fore of Ash's mind.

'Now, Swampert, one more Crystal Shot, and Aggron, let 'er rip!' Swampert crystallized another ice ball in its mouth and launched it at Sceptile, even as Aggron fired the Metal Burst attack straight at Pikachu.

'Corphish, intercept with Vicegrip!' Ash yelled. 'Torkoal, block with Iron Defense!' The Ruffian Pokémon leapt at the Ice Ball attack, caught it in its pincers, and crushed it into powder, as Torkoal jumped into the path of the orb, withdrew into its shell and caught the attack on its glowing shell, where it just bounced off with hardly a scratch.

'Finally getting into the spirit of things, are we, Ketchum?' King called mockingly. 'Well then, it's time to kick this game up a notch! Aggron, ice 'em up with Freeze Ray! Medicham, lock on to the bird with Clairvoyance!' Aggron sent its own tri-blast of ice flying at the opposing team, coating the field with ice crystals. Pikachu and Sceptile were fast enough to dodge, but Torkoal, Corphish and Glalie were all snared in the ice. Swellow flew out of reach, but not before Medicham launched a pair of blue rings from its eyes that latched onto its chest.

'Ash, that was Mind Reader!' Tracy shouted. 'Whatever Medicham does next, Swellow can't dodge it!'

'Now, Medicham, Lightning Jab! Camerupt, Magma Meltdown! Swampert, Crystal Shot! Salamence, Gatling Flame!' Even as Swampert formed and fired a larger Ice Ball, Medicham darted forward and leapt off its back straight at the airborne Swellow, its fist crackling with electrical energy. At the same time, Salamance spat out a salvo of fiery bullets, and Camerupt bellowed and it crater humps ignited, sending a pair of columns of lava shooting into the air. Then, they curved over and started raining down on the frozen Pokémon.

Ash wasn't sure what to respond to first, but Swellow being hit by an electrical attack suddenly sparked a memory from one of his last Hoenn gym battles. 'Glalie, bust out and use Icy Wind straight up! Swellow, used Thunder Armor! Sceptile, slow them down with Bullet Seed!'

Sceptile spat out a salvo of glowing seeds at the approaching attacks, the Ice Ball starting to fracture and the Ember starting to die as it used up its energy. Glalie's black horns suddenly started to glow with silver energy, and with a spin, it shattered its way out of the icy restraints, fracturing the ice around its other two comrades. Then, it reared back and breathed out a sparkling gale of freezing wind. As the Eruption attack met the Icy Wind, the blasts of magma started to cool and harden into stone that started to fracture under the wind's pressure.

'Hey, Glalie just used Gyro Ball!' exclaimed Dawn.

At the same time, the airborne Medicham thrust its fist out as it reached the Swallow Pokémon, impacting Swellow's chest with a crackle of electricity. There was a huge flash of light that blanketed the whole field, but when it faded, Medicham was staring in disbelief at Swellow, whose body was now coated with black and yellow lines and crackling with electricity. Medicham's wrist was locked in Swellow's talon, as both Pokémon stared each other down.

King's expression mirrored his Pokémon's. 'What the hell?'

'Yes!' Max cried, recognizing the move. 'That's how he beat Tate and Liza!'

With King distracted, Ash took his chance. 'Sceptile, Pikachu, smash the rock with Leaf Blade and Iron Tail! Torkoal, Heat Wave! Swellow, Wing Attack!'

As the lava-turned-stone plummeted at Corphish and Torkoal, Sceptile, its arm protrusions lengthened into four full glowing-green blades, and Pikachu, its tail hardened and taking on a metal sheen, leapt at the rock and shattered it with a pair of powerful swings, sending rubble hurtling at King's team. At the same time, Torkoal's shell flared with heat, vaporizing the ice around it and Corphish, and breathed out a searing gale of burning wind, which also completely neutralized the Ice Ball and Ember attacks. Above them, Swellow tossed Medicham in the air and struck it with an electrically-charged wing, sending it crashing to the deck in front of the rest of King's Pokémon even as they were being hammered with heat and stone.

'You like that, King?' called Ash, as Swellow flew back to Ash's side, the electric glow fading from its body and the rest of Ash's team shaking off their fatigue and glaring at their opponents. 'I told you I would save my friends, and no challenge you give, nothing you do is going to change that!'

King's team got to their feet and regrouped as their trainer shouted back, 'No chance, Ketchum! I have my orders, and mark my words, you will fall!'

* * *

><p>'See anything yet, Hilby?' Hilda called out, the sea wind whipping through her dark hair beneath her cap. Her Archeops's wings beat beneath her as they soared over the sea.<p>

From his own Braviary mount a short distance away, her male companion scowled at her. 'For the last time, Hilda, it's Hilbert. And I told you, Braviary will tell us if he sees anything. Right, buddy?' Braviary gave a squawk in affirmation as he patted its neck.

'Keep looking, kids,' came Professor Juniper's voice from their C-Gears. 'According to our maps, we're getting close to the last know coordinates of the kids' Pokégears. We should be able to see something any time now. I just hope they're alright.'

'Don't worry, Professor J,' replied Hilda confidently. 'We'll find Cheren, Bianca and the others and get them back safely. Besides, I'm interested in meeting this Ash kid and seeing how good he is, from what Bianca has mentioned about him.'

'Just don't rush in hot-headedly,' said Hilbert warningly. 'The last thing we need is for you to get into more trouble and for me to pull you out.'

'Me?' scoffed Hilda. 'If anything, I'll be the one getting you out! My team can handle anything!'

From the boat speeding across the ocean a few miles behind the two Trainers, while still keeping them in sight, Oak chuckled as he heard the exchange. 'She really is like Ash, isn't she?'

'Indeed she is,' laughed Juniper. 'I was instantly reminded of Hilda when that enthusiastic trainer of yours bounded into my lab the first time.'

Just then, the Valiant Pokémon that was Hilbert's mount screeched loudly and veered suddenly to the right. 'I think Braviary's found something!' Hilbert shouted, holding on tight. 'Follow me!'

'Right!' called back Hilda, tugging Archeops's neck feathers and turning the First Bird Pokémon in the right direction, the speedboat holding the five Professors close behind. 'At this rate we'll get there in no time!'

* * *

><p>Well, I guess I did manage to get one up in time. That being said, my term is starting soon so the next few updates are going to slow, but don't worry! Like I said, this will be finished!<p>

I'll be posting the rest up soon, so please R&R! And please, no flaming!


	18. Chapter 18 Boiling Point

**Friendship is Eternal**

**A/N: **Ash, Iris and Cilan find themselves pulled away from their journey at the request of one of their old friends. This starts them on a quest that brings back many old faces, a few new ones, and a challenge that Ash must overcome. Exactly what challenge is this? Well, you're just going to have to read to find out!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything Pokémon related whatsoever.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 18: Boiling Point<strong>

'Medicham, you still capable?' called King to the Meditate Pokémon. At its nod, King called, 'Alright, Swampert, one more Crystal Shot, and then everyone, execute Formation Psi!'

'Formation Psi?' Ash repeated, even as King's team arranged itself in a pentagon around Medicham, Swampert taking point and forming a fourth Ice Ball in its mouth, more slowly than before. 'I don't know what he's planning, but I'd better stop it before I find out first-hand! Sceptile, Bullet Seed on Swampert, and Pikachu, Electro Ball on Medicham!'

'Shiftry, Defender! Evasive Action, Medicham!' barked King, even as Sceptile unleashed another salvo of seeds, and Pikachu bounded off the airborne Swellow's back, formed a sphere of electricity at its tail, and then launched it straight at Medicham over Swampert's head. However, Sceptile's attack was met with Shiftry leaping into the attack's path, a glowing green shield around it that deflected all the seeds, and Medicham's eyes flared blue and it did a flip, allowing the Electro Ball to sail under it and explode in between Camerupt and Salamence in the back.

'Now, Swampert, fire! Medicham, Mind Snare!' King said, grinning. With a bellow, Swampert launched its fully-formed Ice Ball, this one as tall as a man. The next moment, Medicham put its hands together, its eyes flared again, and the ball suddenly picked up speed, supercharged by the psychic energy.

'Look out!' yelled Ash, as all his Pokémon scattered as the ball flew through their midst. But the next second, it changed direction in mid-air and shot for Sceptile, flattening the Forest Pokémon into the deck. Ash stared as the Ice Ball started to play pinball with his Pokémon, ricocheting from Corphish, to Torkoal, to Swellow, sending them all flying.

'Glalie, Gyro Ball! Pikachu, Iron Tail!' Ash shouted, even as the Ice Ball shot towards the two of them. With Glalie's horns glowing white and Pikachu's tail hardened to metal, the two Steel-type attacks crashed into the ball and fragmented the ball into a hundred ice shards.

'Medicham?' called King. Medicham's eyes glowed again, and this time, every single ice fragment suddenly glowed in response, and then shot towards Ash's team, needling all 6 Pokémon with dozens of crystal shards.

'Good grief!' exclaimed Brock. 'That Medicham's psychic power is something else to control all those shards!'

'Yeah,' said Tracey. 'I've seen pure Psychic-types without this much control. Ash is going to have his work cut out for him this time.'

Dawn shook her head. 'You boys have said that for all of Ash's battles, and he still won! No need to worry; Ash can take it!'

'Swampert, one last time! Camerupt, Fireball Blast! Medicham, Mind Snare again!' King shouted. Even as Camerupt launched a huge fireball that Ash recognized as a Flame Burst attack, Medicham grabbed it with another Confusion, and started to mutate it, lengthening it into what looked like a spearhead studded with dozens of smaller spikes. When it landed in the middle of the group, it exploded, sending the spikes shooting out like fiery shrapnel, this time bombarding Ash's team with flames. All the while, Swampert was generating its last Ice Ball attack, this one growing until its diameter was the length of a _car_.

Dawn gulped. 'I hope.'

As Ash's team struggled to regain their bearings, King narrowed his eyes and said, 'Think it's time to put them out of their misery. Salamence, Emerald Gale! Shiftry, Wind Sickle! Swampert, fire away!' Simultaneously, King's three Pokémon unleashed another breath of green-tinted wind, a barrage of whirling white wind blades, and the massive chunk of ice, all aimed right at Ash's team. Ash watched as the Dragonbreath and Razor Wind attacks started to accelerate the Ice Ball; he didn't have much time to come up with a counter.

'Torkoal, Iron Defense, and Corphish, Pikachu, use Crabhammer and Iron Tail on Torkoal, now!' All three Pokémon instantly understood their trainer's idea, and as Torkoal withdrew and strengthened its shell, both Pokémon darted behind the Coal Pokémon and prepared their attacks. Both Pokémon smashed their tail and claw into Torkoal's rear, propelling it for the energized Ice Ball like a cannonball.

'Alright, Torkoal, spin, Overheat, and Body Slam, now!' Ash yelled at the flying Fire-type. In mid-air, Torkoal's shell started to whirl around and flare with an aura of heat right before impact. Unstoppable object met unstoppable object, and in this match-up, heat beat cold. Torkoal shattered the ice ball into a million pieces, tearing through it and its propelling winds.

'Medicham!' shouted King. 'Use Mind Sn-'

'Torkoal, fire!' Ash cut off his opponent mid-sentence. 'Pikachu, Thunderbolt counter-shield!' Even as Torkoal flew over Swampert, popped out of its shell and unleashed a blistering burst of whirling fire, Pikachu whirled into action, leaping into the air and sending a miasma of electricity arcing out in all directions, utterly pulverizing the ice shards and wind blades. However, the Dragonbreath attack managed to break through and struck the Mouse Pokémon, knocking it flying. 'Pikachu!' exclaimed Ash, thrown off balance by the attack, but he just managed to hear King amend his order.

'Medicham, Evasive Action! Aggron, Stone Shrapnel!' he shouted, even as Medicham's eyes flared again, and rock shards started to float around Aggron's body, as they watched the flame blast draw closer and closer.

But Ash only grinned. 'Sceptile, Quick Attack and Leaf Blade on Aggron!' he snapped out, and Sceptile shot like a bolt of lightning around the grouping of enemies before any of them could react, reappearing behind Aggron with its glowing blades fully lengthened. In a matter of seconds, it struck the Iron Armor Pokémon with a multitude of strikes, sending it stumbling forward, right as Medicham did a somersault and jump out of the way of the Overheat attack.

'Aggron, look out!' yelled King, but he was too late. Aggron staggered right into the path of the fire blast, the intense flame attack scorching its metal skin. The Rock/Steel hybrid couldn't take the intense power and toppled over on its back, out like a light, the orbiting stones clattering to the ground around it.

'Tch!' scowled King, not even pausing to recall his Pokémon, he shouted, 'Salamence, use Flash Talon on that tortoise! Medicham, cut up that Sceptile with Psi Blades!' The Dragon Pokémon roared and took off for the still-airborne Torkoal, its claws flaring with blue energy. At the same time, Medicham leapt for Sceptile, glowing blue psychic blades formed over its forearms.

'Sceptile, Leaf Blade! Torkoal, Body Slam! Corphish, Bubblebeam!' With all the chaos going on, Ash took his chance. Sceptile managed to raise its blades in time before Medicham collided with it, sending both Pokémon into a blur of slashing, blocking and counterattacking. Corphish opened its claws and sent a flurry of glowing blue bubbles lancing at the rest of King's team, who winced as the bubbles burst against them in blows of water. Above them, Torkoal thudded into Salamence's head, stunning it for a moment, but it didn't stop the giant Dragon Pokémon from swinging its massive claw and sending the Coal Pokémon flying.

'Torkoal!' yelled Ash, as the Fire-type landed with a thud to the ground, out like a light. Sceptile and Medicham leapt back from their brief duel and skidded back to their own sides.

'Well, it would seem that we both lose a Pokémon,' King said nonchalantly, recalling Aggron and giving it a pat, 'so I guess it's only proper that you reap the consequences of your loss.' Raising his fingers into the air, he clicked them smartly, and a loud beep suddenly cut through the air. It came from the cages.

When Ash looked again, he noticed 6 large lights mounted on a plate separating the bottom cage, containing May and Max, and the top cage, containing the rest of Ash's friends. One of the 6 lights had already lit up, but Ash couldn't figure out what that meant.

'Confused, Ketchum?' called Maxie from the VIP booth. 'Don't be. It's _dead_ simple: every time you lose a Pokémon, one of those lights turns on. When all 6 light up…' he chuckled and spread his arms sharply, '…boom.'

Ash understood instantly and his rage went through the roof. 'When I get through with you, there's not going to be enough left of you to go to prison!' he yelled at them. 'You hear me? You're –'

'Salamence, grab Medicham and use Take Wing!' King cut him off. 'Shiftry, Defend Swampert! Camerupt, time to rock their world! Seismic Shockwave!' Salamence swooped down, grasped Medicham in its claws and lifted it off the ground, as Shiftry leapt onto Swampert's back and generated another glowing green energy shield around them, moments before Camerupt reared up and stomped on the ground. The deck fissured violently, the concrete field spiderwebbing with cracks and giving Ash's Pokémon (excluding Swellow) a severe jolt. Ash quickly recalled Torkoal before any more harm came to it.

'Alright, Swampert, Dynamite Knuckle! Shiftry, Nature Craft!' snapped out King. The Wicked Pokémon leapt off the Mud Fish Pokémon's back as the latter slammed a glowing orange fist into the ground. An explosion rang out and the section of the field fragmented, sending stone chunks flying into the air. Shiftry flew into the midst of the rocks, and its arms started to flare bright green. The next moment, more flying boulders emerged out of thin air and started raining down on Ash's team.

'What's going on?' shouted May.

'It looks like Nature Power,' Tracey replied, 'It's a move that changes depending on where you are, and it looks like with all the rocks around Shiftry, it's become a Rock Slide!'

'Sceptile, Bullet Seed! Corphish, Crabhammer! Pikachu, Iron Tail!' shouted Ash frantically. The three Pokémon unleashed their attacks, shattering through the rocks as fast as they could.

'Medicham? Mind Snare,' said King. 'Salamence, Emerald Gale.' Still in mid-air, Salamence released another burst of Dragonbreath, as Medicham snatched at the falling stones, directing them to evade the Pokémon's strikes and making destroying them that much harder, even as they were pummeled by Salamence's attacks.

'Glalie, you've got to stop Salamence! Rapid-fire Ice Beam!' Ash yelled at the Face Pokémon. Glalie bounced into the air and sent a tri-blast of icy energy lancing from between its horns, but the beam sailed right past Salamence and Medicham by a few inches, crystallizing a chunk of ice in mid-air and dropping it into the ocean. More blasts followed, but they soared right past Salamence, the Dragon Pokémon not even needing to move from its position in the air.

'Aw man!' groaned Max. 'Even now its aim is still horrible!'

Ash had to think fast. Pikachu, Corphish and Sceptile couldn't take many more hits from the rocks. Then, glancing at Glalie, it came to him. 'Glalie, Ice Beam again, on Medicham!'

King laughed mockingly as Glalie fired off a second blast. 'Give it up, Ketchum! Your Glalie couldn't hit the broad side of a Wailord!' However, this time, the Ice Beam struck, not Medicham, but Salamence! Salamence roared in shock from the cold, its wings freezing over and it starting to plummet out of the sky. With its mount staggered, Medicham lost its focus, causing the rocks to fall out of the air to crash all around the three Pokémon.

'Yeah, that's what I was aiming for!' crowed Ash. 'Great job, Glalie, now Swellow, Aerial Ace!' Swellow squawked, flew in a loop, and dove for the two falling Pokémon like a missile, an air ram over its head.

'Camerupt, Shiftry, Swampert, Fireball Blast, Leaf Shuriken and Swamp Barrage! Covering fire!' King yelled. 'Medicham, prepare for Booster Pile!' The three Pokémon roared and sent red-hot fireballs, sharpened leaves, and balls of glowing blue mud flying through the air, even as Medicham prepared to leap off the falling Salamence, its right knee already glowing with energy.

'Pikachu, Thunderbolt! Corphish, Bubblebeam! Give them the counter-shield!' Ash shouted. Pikachu and Corphish leapt into the way of the onslaught, and started whirling around, thunderbolts and glowing bubbles flying in all directions and destroying the projectiles as they came. But behind them, even as Swellow flew at the two Pokémon, Medicham gave a mighty leap off Salamence's back and slammed Swellow with a flying knee kick, driving them both into the sky as Salamence thudded to the deck.

'Swellow, no!' yelled Ash, even as both Pokémon went flying. Just then, Swellow's eyes took on an odd glint and its body started to flare with bronze power as it strained against Medicham's momentum. Medicham's expression was one of dismay as the two battlers changed direction and instead went hurtling towards the ground.

'Medicham, look out!' shouted King, as both Pokémon crashed heavily to the ground, Medicham on the bottom. Swellow flapped weakly back into the air as Medicham raised itself to one knee, both breathing heavily.

'What attack was that?' cried Dawn.

'I think it was Endeavor,' replied Brock, 'it's a move that deals enough damage to bring your opponent down to however strong the user is at the moment, so it's best to use it when your Pokémon is almost to the brink.'

'And with that Hi Jump Kick, now both Swellow and Medicham are on that brink!' gasped Dawn.

'Swellow, Sceptile, Quick Attack on Medicham, now!' barked Ash. With its last remnants of strength, Swellow surged for Medicham at mach speed, with Sceptile charging in from the other side, both trailing streaks of light.

'Grah!' exclaimed King. With Pikachu and Corphish keeping that shield up, none of his other Pokémon could get through to save Medicham. 'Medicham, quick, Evasive Action!' Gathering it's remaining energy, Medicham gave one last flip into the air, somersaulting as both Pokémon flew under it.

But that was a mistake, with a yell of 'Glalie, Icy Wind, now!' Ash directed the Face Pokémon to expel a large gust of sparkling, subzero winds at the airborne Medicham. With no way to dodge, Medicham was hammered with the icy attack and slid to a stop in front of its four comrades, out cold.

'Medicham!' shouted King.

Giovanni glanced at his allies. 'Phoebus, are you sure King is pushing him? Already, Ketchum is in the lead!'

'Don't worry, Giovanni, you remember our backup plan…' Phoebus answered, grinning evilly. 'Even if Ketchum wins this battle, he will still lose this war!' He cast a glance behind him at the Pokémon standing like a sentinel, arms folded.

'Don't worry, my friend, you did great,' King said, recalling his defeated Pokémon. He cast Ash a glare and said, 'You've gotten lucky so far, Ketchum, but I've barely had to pull out my best attacks. You have no idea what you're in for.'

Ash glared right back. 'Bring it on, your highness.'

'Shiftry, Stealth Strike!' shouted King. Shiftry winked out of sight in a burst of speed, and with two neat swings, Pikachu and Corphish were batted out of the air.

'Now, Defend Camerupt! Salamence, Take Wing, and Swampert, Tsunami!' King yelled out. Shiftry did a graceful flip and landed on top of Camerupt, once again shielding it with a glowing green bubble. Salamence shot into the air again, while Swampert reared up and hammered both fists on the ground. A second later, a tidal wave of water surged up from around it, lifting Swampert into the air and sending it barreling at Ash's team on the wave's crest.

'Glalie, quick, Ice Beam!' yelled Ash. Glalie released another ice blast that started to freeze the approaching wave bit by bit.

'Shiftry, Nature Craft!' shouted King. As Camerupt and Shiftry emerged from behind the wave, safe and dry, the Wicked Pokémon dropped the shield and gave an almighty leap to the top of the approaching wave, which was still liquid water. Right before Glalie froze the wave under it, it raised its glowing right leaf hand and thrust it forward. A giant gusher of water exploded from its palm and doused Glalie, throwing it backward and halting its attack.

'Wha – was that Hydro Pump?' Dawn gasped. 'Did all that water do that?'

Tracey nodded grimly. 'King's Pokémon seem to allow him to change environments at a whim, so unless Ash can stifle the quick-changes, he's in for a long haul.'

With the remnants of the wave still bearing down on them, Ash made a decision. 'Sceptile, Pikachu, use Leaf Blade and Iron Tail! Break that wave apart!' Both Pokémon leapt for the approaching wave and cleaved it clear in half with their glowing appendages, scattering water all over the field and leaving Swampert without a wave to stand on. However, the resulting impact also fragmented the frozen section of the wave, shattering it into a huge pile of snow that layered a section of the field in snowflakes.

'Now, Corphish, attack Swampert with Vicegrip!' Ash shouted. Corphish let out a cry as it leapt into the air at the falling Swampert, its claw outstretched. It locked its claw around the Mud Fish Pokémon's right wrist, causing it grunt in pain.

Ash smiled at the attack's success, but stopped when he saw King's even larger grin. 'Big mistake, Ketchum. Swampert, Dynamite Knuckle on Glalie, and take Corphish with you!' The arm Corphish was clutching started to glow a bright orange, and the Ruffian Pokémon let out a dismayed cry as Swampert dove towards the still-disoriented Glalie. When the punch hit, the resulting explosion blew Corphish and Glalie backwards, stars swirling around the Face Pokémon's head and Corphish trying to regain its bearings from the impact.

'Now, I was going to use Aggron for this, but thanks for doing the job for me!' King declared. 'Shiftry, get to the ice and use Nature Craft!' Shiftry deftly landed on the snow-covered field, and swung its glowing arm. This time, a chilling gale of wind stormed across the battlefield, punctuated by giant chunks of ice.

'Brrr!' shivered Cilan, clutching at his sleeves. 'That Blizzard has certainly added some snap to King's recipe!'

'W-w-will you ev-v-ver s-s-stop c-complement-t-ting h-him?' Lyra said, trying to stop her teeth from chattering.

As the Blizzard swept across the field, the puddles of water on the ground started to freeze over along with Ash's team. Ice started to encrust over Pikachu, Sceptile and Corphish, freezing them to the ground. Glalie staggered around, not bothered by the cold but still too confused to do anything. Unfortunately, Swellow, already on the edge of defeat, was blown backwards by the sub-zero winds, finally sprawling in front of Ash, out cold and half-frozen from the attack.

'No, Swellow!' cried Ash, seeing the Swallow Pokémon unable to battle anymore.

'Two down, four to go,' chuckled King, unbothered by the cold air, 'and that goes for your friends too!' With another click, the second of six lights lit up, as Ash's friends groaned as they took one more step towards doom.

Ash grimaced as he recalled the valiant Flying-type. 'Come on, guys, we can't give up now!' he shouted at his frozen Pokémon. 'We can't let our friends down!'

'Looks like this isn't a battle any more, Ketchum,' taunted King, tipping his head. 'It's target practice! Camerupt, Adrenaline and Magma Meltdown, and take out that Corphish first!' Camerupt gave another bellow, its body suddenly flaring with a blue aura as it focused its energy, and sent another pair of lava columns shooting into the air, arcing over to land on the frozen Corphish.

'Corphish!' screamed Ash in dismay.

All of a sudden, Corphish's frozen body started to glow, the ice around it starting to fracture. Everyone stared as the glowing Ruffian Pokémon started to grow, its body growing larger and rear legs thickening. Finally, the ice shattered and the glow faded, revealing a larger Pokémon, with even larger pincers, blue stripes on its face, a dark red and white exoskeleton, and a yellow star on the top of its head. '_Crawdaunt!_' it bellowed.

'No way!' exclaimed Brock. 'Corphish evolved into Crawdaunt!'

Crawdaunt glared up at the approaching lava streams, then it raised its claws and unleashed a Bubblebeam attack right at it, firing larger bubbles than it ever had before. The bubbles crashed against the lava flow, cooling it into another long, thick, pillar-like mass of rock. Then, it leapt up and raised its claw, which started sizzling with dark power, and then brought it down in a powerful karate chop, smashing through the rock pillar and bifurcating it.

'Hey, that was Night Slash!' exclaimed Khoury. 'Amazing!'

'Yes! Now, Glalie, use Gyro Ball!' Ash yelled at the disoriented Ice-type. Glalie obeyed, its horns glowing with power, but instead of shooting for the enemy, it spun across the field like an out-of-control top, crashing into the ice prisons and releasing Pikachu and Sceptile. At the same time, Crawdaunt landed on the ground and caught the falling segment of lava rock, holding it above its head like a bat.

'What?' Max gawked at Crawdaunt's sheer strength. 'When did Crawdaunt start pumping iron?'

Seeing this, Ash grinned. 'Crawdaunt, batter up on Camerupt! Sceptile, Slam Swampert! Pikachu, hit Salamence with a Thunder Ball combo, and Glalie, Ice Beam on Shiftry!'

'Grah!' snarled King. 'Swampert, use Swamp-' He was cut off when the still-confused Glalie whirled through his Pokémon's formation, causing them to scatter in all directions.

Crawdaunt swung the pillar of stone with all its might, shattering it against the Eruption Pokémon in a shower of rocks. At the same time, Sceptile whacked Swampert over the head with its bush-like tail, and Glalie bounced off Salamence's body hard enough to clear its head and hear Ash's order, firing another chilling blast of icy power at Shiftry. Through it all, Pikachu generated and hurled a second orb of crackling electricity at Salamence, and then channeled another Thunderbolt attack into it, making it grow to the size of a television right before it hit its mark.

'No!' yelled King, even as the attacks hammered all four of his Pokémon, sending them all flying backwards.

'Yes!' shouted Ash's companions, watching the battle with glee. Suddenly, another explosion, and a door on the side of the deck blowing out diverted their attention, and all eyes turned to the smoke drifting out the door.

* * *

><p>I'll be posting the rest up soon, so please R&amp;R! And please, no flaming!<p> 


	19. Chapter 19 Royal Treatment

**Friendship is Eternal**

**A/N: **Ash, Iris and Cilan find themselves pulled away from their journey at the request of one of their old friends. This starts them on a quest that brings back many old faces, a few new ones, and a challenge that Ash must overcome. Exactly what challenge is this? Well, you're just going to have to read to find out!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything Pokémon related whatsoever.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 19: Royal Treatment<strong>

'What the-' Brock gasped, looking in the direction of the explosion. 'What was that?'

The bosses had stood up, looking in the direction of the smoke. 'What is the meaning of this?' bellowed Giovanni.

The next second, 5 familiar shapes went flying out of the smoke to sprawl at the side of the battlefield. The groaning forms of Team Rocket and their Pokémon slowly picked themselves off the ground.

'You three?' barked Giovanni. 'What do you think you're doing?'

'They're getting their butts kicked, that's what!' shouted a voice, and suddenly, seven shapes charged out of the smoke onto the deck. Everyone stared as a tall, red and beige, humanoid bird with talon-like fists and enormous legs, a huge, round, brown mammoth with two huge tusks and a pig-nose instead of a trunk, a small pink and white Pokémon with what looked like coral growing out of its back, two Pokémon that looked like older, larger versions of Tepig and Gible, a small purple frog with orange cheeks and black and orange hands and feet, and a large green, bipedal, insect-like Pokémon with scythes for arms stormed out the door onto the deck. Following behind them was Iris, Axew poking out from her hair.

'Our Pokémon!' cried Brock.

'Giovanni?' snarled Maxie. 'Are your employees that incompetent that they can't even handle one kid?' Giovanni fumed at the implication.

'Well, this kid is ready to lay some hurt!' shouted back Iris. 'Axew, Dragon Rage them!' Axew cried out and leapt out of Iris's hair, its body taking on a bluish glow. The next second, it opened its mouth and unleashed a blaze of navy-colored fire, wreathing through the air in the form of a powerful dragon towards the bosses.

'Blaziken, get us out of here!' shouted May, using the distraction. 'Use Blaze Kick!'

'Scyther, help out with Cut!' added Tracey. The two Pokémon darted for the cages, Blaziken's feet already ignited and Scyther's blades held ready.

Maxie exchanged glances with his Team Aqua counterpart. Archie merely gave a dark smirk. 'You're way out of your league, girl,' he growled, raising one hand and clicking his fingers as Maxie did the same.

Suddenly, a huge sphere of water and a gout of flame blasted both Pokémon away from the cage, as another Crawdaunt and a red octopus-like Pokémon with four tentacles and a cannon-like snout darted from around the cage to face Iris and her small team of Pokémon.

At the same time, a pair of black blurs suddenly shot through the air and tore through the Dragon Rage attack, scattering it into embers. Iris backed up in fear as two black dog-like Pokémon, one with shaggy fur and resembling a feral wolf, the other having a pair of horns and breathing flames, landed in front of her, growling like a pair of starving jackals.

'You should've stayed in the playground, missy,' came a woman's voice, as a pair of Team Aqua members, a man and a woman, climbed up the ladder from the bottom deck. The woman had long, curly, red hair and a black tank top, and the man had short red hair and a muscular, bare chest. Both wore blue vests, a blue bandanna with the Team Aqua skull symbol on it, and blue trousers.

'And you Team Aqua twits should've left this to the professionals,' snapped a man's voice, as another duo, this time wearing the red cloaks and hoods of Team Magma jumped from the viewer's box to where everyone could see them. It was another man and woman pair, the man standing a few inches taller than his partner, a seemingly malevolent grin on his face.

May gasped as she recognized the woman. 'You're that Team Aqua administrator! Shelly!'

'And it's that Team Magma administrator, Tabitha!' added Max, staring at the man.

Shelly chuckled darkly. 'So nice you remember me, little girl. But I've got your friend to take care of right now. Matt, stick it to them,' she said to her partner.

'Gladly,' replied Matt in a gravelly voice. 'Octillery, slime 'em! Octazooka!' Octillery's head swelled and sent a gobbet of glowing orange ink shooting at the group of Pokémon.

'Come on, don't hog all the fun!' Tabitha said. 'Courtney? Heat them up!'

His companion nodded. 'Houndoom, Inferno!' The Dark Pokémon snarled and breathed out a burst of searing blue fire, forcing Iris to dodge frantically.

'We've got to fight back!' shouted Brock. 'Croagunk, Poison Sting!'

'Mamoswine, Ice Shard!' cried Dawn.

'Corsola, Bubblebeam!' yelled Misty. Mamoswine and Corsola sent a barrage of ice crystals and sparkling bubbles shooting at the Inferno attack, trying to extinguish it, while Croagunk spat out glowing purple needles at the Octazooka, detonating it in a shower of ink.

By now, Team Rocket had recovered and struggled to their feet. 'Hey!' screeched Jessie. 'That's our battle you're butting in on!'

'Yeah, so butt out!' James shouted.

'You're the ones who should butt out!' snapped Shelly. 'Still the same old petty thieves from before; you couldn't battle your way out of a paper bag!'

Jessie snarled and was about to order Woobat to attack the Team Aqua administrator, when a shout from her boss stopped her. 'Enough!' he bellowed. 'We've had enough problems with these children here; we do not need any more incompetent agents messing up this plan!'

'Scyther, break us out with Fury Cutter!' Tracey interjected, using the distraction.

'Gabite, you use Dragon Claw!' added Khoury. Both Pokémon leapt for the cage, their claws glowing shades of red and white respectively.

'Hey, stay out of this, old timer!' yelled Meowth, leaping at Scyther, claws extended. With hardly a backward glance, the Mantis Pokémon swatted Meowth out of the way.

'Can't you do anything right?' Jessie shrieked at her teammate. 'Woobat, Gust, now!'

'Crawdaunt, Icy Wind, now!' barked Shelly. In an instant, both Scyther and Gabite were forced back by gale-force winds lowered to bone-chilling temperatures.

'Pignite, help us!' yelled Bianca. 'Heat Crash!' Her Pignite leapt into the air with a cry, and flexed its arms, a sphere of flickering flame appearing around it. The next second, it went hurtling at the Team Magma admins' Pokémon like a meteor.

'Mightyena, show that kid some real power!' Tabitha shouted. 'Hyper Beam!' With a roar, Mightyena unleashed a blistering beam of power that struck the falling Pignite and started to slow it down.

'Blaziken, Blaze Kick on Pignite!' May quickly shouted. Blaziken instantly leapt upwards and delivered a flaming roundhouse kick on Pignite's fire sphere, boosting it through the Hyper Beam like a supercharged soccer ball. With a devastating explosion, it connected, knocking Mightyena backwards and stunning Houndoom.

'Wow!' exclaimed Bianca, eyes wide. 'I've never seen a move like that before!'

'I guess all that Contest training really paid off,' said Brock, impressed.

Dawn caught sight of May's tactic, and realized what to do. 'That's it! Mamoswine, Ice Armor Take Down now!' In one smooth motion, the huge Twin Tusk Pokémon had generated a large, glowing ice chunk, then swallowed it, generating massive icicle spikes over its back. Then, it barreled for the two dog-like Pokémon, sending them both flying like bowling pins.

'Yes!' cheered Dawn. 'Go, Mamoswine!'

'Gabite, use Sandstorm to cancel out the winds!' Khoury called. Struggling against the cold winds, Gabite swung its arms forward, and a tornado of sand whirled up from around it, intercepting the violent gale. The two opposing winds battered at each other, until the sand had all frozen into huge chunks of crystal, neutralizing both attacks.

'Yamask, stop them!' yelled James. 'Night Shade!'

'Corsola, quick, Mirror Coat!' called Misty. Quickly, Corsola, its spiky shell glittering with a shiny white coating, leapt in between the two sides, even as Yamask flared with a purple aura and sent rings of red energy and black lightning arcing forward. The blast struck the Coral Pokémon and was deflected back towards Yamask, blasting it out of the sky.

'Croagunk, Poison Jab!' shouted Brock.

'Scyther, use Fury Cutter, one more time!' ordered Tracey. In a blur of speed, Scyther and Croagunk whipped past Octillery and Crawdaunt, Scyther cutting across Crawdaunt's body with a glowing red blade, and Croagunk pasting Octillery in the snout with a glowing purple fist.

'Now, Croagunk, break us out!' Brock ordered. 'Brick Break!' Croagunk growled, then lunged forward, its arm already glowing white and raised for a powerful karate chop.

'Tch!' muttered Phoebus. 'Looks like I'll have to show my hand earlier than I thought.' Raising his fingers, he clicked them as well.

'Hold it!' suddenly came a voice, shouting at Brock. Everyone halted and whirled to see three people, two women and a man, standing at the far end of the battlefield beside King. All were wearing the black and white uniforms of Team Galactic commanders. What was most identifying, though, were their distinctive hairstyles: a bullhorn-like blue hairstyle for the man, a red front-spike for one of the women, and a purple topknot and ponytail for the other.

In front of them stood three menacing Pokémon: a blue-skinned, red-clawed older version of Croagunk, a fat, grey-and-white cat with a spring-coiled tail and purple-tipped ears, and a huge purple skunk-like Pokémon with a huge, thick tail that curled back over its head. Slumped in front of them were the unconscious forms of Rook, Knight and Bishop.

'Oh no!' Brock groaned, Croagunk stopping in its tracks at the sight of its evolved form. 'The Galactic Commanders are here! Saturn, Mars and Jupiter!'

'Ethan!' cried Lyra, staring at her friend in horror. 'What did you do to him?'

The blue-haired male, Saturn, gave a dark chuckle. 'Only what he deserved for putting up such a half-assed fight against your friend. And unless your dark friend and all your Pokémon stand down, I'll have to perform a little experiment on your friends here.'

'What sort of experiment?' called Misty.

'Just something I call: "How many Poison Jabs can the human body take?" I'm sure Toxicroak here would be very willing to oblige.' At its trainer's nod, the Poison/Fighting hybrid grasped Rook by his collar and hauled him upright. Then it raised its other fist and focused toxic energy into it, making it glow a sickening violet.

Everyone was horrified at the implication. 'You wouldn't!' gasped Lyra, trembling at the thought. 'You wouldn't kill him!'

'Try us!' challenged the redhead, Mars. 'Purugly?' The cat Pokémon reached out with one paw and extended its claws, caressing Bishop's throat with the slightest threat of a Fury Swipes attack.

'Skuntank?' the purple-haired commander, Jupiter, echoed. With a growl, Skuntank positioned itself with its mouth level with Knight's head, prepared to release whatever attack it was ready to do.

Brock growled. There was nothing he could do without putting any of them in danger. 'Croakgunk, stand down,' he grated out, and Croagunk's arms lost its glow, still glaring at the Toxicroak. The rest reluctantly gave the same order to their other Pokémon, gathering them in a group beside the cage. Iris was quivering with a mixture of fear and rage as she joined them.

'Hah!' jeered Meowth, who had recovered from Scyther's strike by now. 'That will teach you twerps to mess with us!' A low growl sounded behind him and he turned around to see Courtney and her Houndoom glaring at him.

'Give us a break,' scoffed the Team Magma administrator. 'You and your pathetic trainers barely did anything at all. If you were even a bit competent, you wouldn't have let the girl loose in the first place!'

'For once, I agree with this Team Magma idiot,' Shelly remarked, ignoring the scowl Courtney aimed at her back. 'The least your team of goofballs could do is find the Poké-balls to get all these Pokémon out of our hair.'

'What!' exclaimed Jessie in annoyance, 'You can't just order us around like that!'

'Right!' agreed James, 'We're not some servants that you can boss around! We're the best the boss can call in!'

'Enough!' bellowed Giovanni. 'The only reason I called you three nitwits in for this was because you were the closest agents available; and right now, I am regretting it! You are a disgrace to all Team Rocket members! If you can't handle things yourselves, you will take orders from someone capable, or so help me, you will be fired from this team so fast you'll get whiplash! Now GO! NOW!'

'Yes boss!' uttered all three Team Rocket members, and were gone through the door so fast it looked like they'd teleported.

'Alright, kiddies,' chuckled Tabitha, as he, Courtney and their Pokémon approached, growling, 'you just stay right there and wait for the boom.' Suddenly, a loud roar cut through the air and a bright flash caught everyone's attention as all eyes turned to the battle.

* * *

><p>A few moments earlier…<p>

Ash stared as his friends' Pokémon stormed out of the door onto the field, but a shout of 'Ketchum!' split the air, turning his attention back to the battle.

King stood there, trembling with disbelief as the dust kicked up around his Pokémon cleared. To Ash's amazement, a battered Salamence and Swampert had hauled themselves to their feet, glaring at Ash's remaining four Pokémon, but both Shiftry and Camerupt lay beside them, out like a light.

'Never in my life have two of my Pokémon been knocked out like that at the very same time…' whispered King, barely having the sense of mind to recall his two battlers.

'King,' Ash said, 'Stop this madness right now. Call off the battle, and let me rescue my friends. This doesn't have to continue.'

'No…' the murmur of King's voice almost made Ash take a step backwards. 'This is exactly the battle I've been waiting for.'

King's blank eyes seemed to bore right into Ash's own. 'Even among the Checkmate Five, I've never had to go all out. Now here you are, you and your Pokémon, pushing me to my very limits…' A strange grin started to cross his face, 'which gives me perfect license to push right back!'

Ash wasn't sure whether to blink or gulp.

'Time to stop sandbagging around,' King declared. 'Swampert, Crystal Shot, and give it a Dynamite boost!' Once more, Swampert generated another ball of ice in front of its mouth, but this time instead of simply firing it, it backed off, charged its fist, and sent the ball flying at breakneck speeds towards the other team.

'Dodge-' Ash didn't have time to finish his order before the supercharged Ice Ball slammed into the deck and exploded like a grenade, sending all the Pokémon flying as their trainer tried to regain his balance. 'Sceptile, Bullet S-'

'Salamence, shut them down!' King wasn't even going to let his opponent get a breath. 'Gatling Flame, and combo it with Emerald Gale!' Salamence swooped overhead and unleashed a dual blast of fire bullets and green-tinted wind, pummeling the four Pokémon with dragonfire, even as Swampert started to generate another Ice Ball.

Ash gritted his teeth. He had to bust through this barrage of attacks before his Pokémon were overwhelmed. 'Glalie, Ice B-'

'Fire, Swampert!' barked King.

'-eam! Pikachu, Thunderbolt! Crawdaunt, Night Slash!' finished Ash. Even as Swampert launched the ball of ice, Crawdaunt leapt into the path, and smashed it with a glowing-purple claw. At the same time, both Pikachu and Glalie sent twin beams of thunder and ice arcing into the air straight at Salamence.

'Salamence, Take Wing, then blast them again!' shouted King, even as the Dragon Pokémon flared its wings and shot out of the way of the two attacks, flying way out of range of any of Ash's Pokémon's attacks. Then, it swooped low and again peppered Ash's team with wind and flame.

Ash grimaced; he needed to find an opening in King's blitzkrieg strategy, before his Pokémon were over-run. Once again, Swampert started to form another Ice Ball, larger than before, at Salamence wheeled around for another shot. His eyes flickered between the two Pokémon, then back to his own team who were picking themselves off the deck. Suddenly, as he stared at Crawdaunt, a new idea came to him.

'Now, Salamence, flatten that Sceptile! Swampert, Crystal Shot again!' King shouted. Salamence dove for Sceptile at the same time that Swampert fired the large ball of ice.

'Pikachu, slow down Salamence with Thunderbolt! Sceptile, use Bullet Seed on the Ice Ball, then Crawdaunt, grab it!' Ash ordered. Pikachu quickly released another blast of electricity up in the air, which Salamence was forced to dodge. Sceptile spat out a barrage of glowing seeds at the ball of ice, which although didn't destroy it, did start slowing it down. By the time it reached them, it was moving at a slow-enough pace for Crawdaunt to reach out with its massive claws, brace its enormous back legs, and stop it cold.

'Now, Crawdaunt, how about we give that back to Salamence?' Ash suggested. With a nod, the Rogue Pokémon flexed its arms, hefted the Ice Ball in its pincers, and then hurled it at Salamence. Distracted by Pikachu's attacks, it couldn't dodge in time and was sent flying amongst a shower of ice shards.

'Alright Crawdaunt, give Sceptile a boost! Sceptile, cut down Salamence with Leaf Blade! Glalie, Pikachu, Gyro Ball and Iron Tail on Swampert!' Glalie and Pikachu whirled at Swampert with glowing horns and tail, even as the Mud Fish Pokémon started forming another ball of ice, this one even larger than the last. Crawdaunt drew back one of its claws as Sceptile darted at it, leaping onto the huge pincer and pushing off even as the powerful Water-type hurled it straight at the floundering Salamence.

'Salamence, crush it! Flash Talon!' yelled King. When Sceptile was only a few feet from eviscerating the Dragon Pokémon with its glowing green blades, Salamence batted them aside with its own glowing claws, knocking it off balance. Stuck in mid-air, Sceptile couldn't do a thing as Salamence swooped down and rammed one claw into its chest and diving back to earth, finally pinioning the Forest Pokémon into the ground with a loud thud under its claw.

'Sceptile!' yelled Ash in dismay.

'Swampert, give them a Tsunami with that Crystal Shot!' ordered King, seeing Pikachu and Glalie turn to see what happened to their teammate. In one motion, it had both fired its fourth Ice Ball and sent another tidal wave flying at the two Pokémon. Pikachu and Glalie were sent flying as the Ice Ball flew past and the wave swept them backwards.

'Crawdaunt, smash the wave with Crabhammer!' Ash called out. Undaunted by the towering attack, Crawdaunt barreled into wave, its pincer flaring with energy. For the second time in the battle, the Surf attack was shattered in a spray of water, catapulting Pikachu and Glalie back towards Salamence and the pinned Scyther.

As Glalie tumbled to the ground, Pikachu somehow twisted in mid-air and landed right on Salamence's head. Ash saw this and took his chance. 'Pikachu!' he yelled. 'Thunder attack, full power!'

'_Piiikaaaa-CHUUUUUU!_' Pikachu yelled out and let loose with a titanic burst of electricity, sending thousands of volts of lightning surging through Salamence's body. Salamence roared in agony and convulsed, releasing Sceptile from its grip.

'Give it up, King!' Ash shouted. 'Pikachu's taken out a Dragonite with that attack, and that was when Pikachu was younger! There's no way Salamence can withstand that!'

Finally, the thunderous eruption subsided, leaving both Pikachu and Salamence smoking and gasping for air. Ash waited for Salamence's body to give up…

…but instead, the Dragon Pokémon thrashed its head, hurling Pikachu off to send it sprawling to the ground, next to the slowly-recovering Glalie. Ash stared. 'No! Pikachu!'

'No way!' Tracey exclaimed. 'That attack could've taken out Drake's Dragonite! How could that not have worked?' All of Ash's friends were similarly shocked.

'Hah!' scoffed King. 'That Dragonite must've been a juvenile to have been beaten by a Pokémon as pathetic as that Pikachu of yours! And the same goes for the rest of your Pokémon! Swampert, Dynamite Knuckle!'

In the confusion, Ash had forgotten about Crawdaunt's position, and before he could order it to move, Swampert had closed the distance and slugged it with a devastating right hook, sending it flying backwards with a bang.

'Still, your Pokémon have put up a valiant fight, so I'll make this ending swift.' King's steely gaze turned to his Salamence, still pinning Sceptile to the ground. 'Salamence, it's time to finish this. Armageddon!'

Even as Sceptile struggled, Salamence's body started to flare with an orange-gold aura, calling on all its strength for its most devastating attack. Then it reared back its head, as the glow focused itself in its mouth as a ball of orange energy.

Ash gasped as he recognized the attack. 'No! Not that!' But before he could do anything about it, with a roar, a beam of orange light erupted from Salamence's mouth, shooting into the air like a firework from a mortar. A second later, the beam exploded overhead, sending a multitude of glowing rocket-like projectiles shooting in all directions.

Everyone covered their heads as the Draco Meteor attack rained down around them, rending the air with loud bangs and booms. Some meteors splashed down in the sea, but most bombarded the field, blanketing it in explosions. Crawdaunt was immediately flattened by a barrage of meteors, too dazed from the Dynamicpunch to do anything about it.

'Crawdaunt!' yelled Ash, seeing his faithful Pokémon disappear in a cloud of smoke, but was immediately distracted by Pikachu's cry, as the Mouse Pokémon was sent flying by another explosion, right into the path of another meteor. 'Pikachu!'

Suddenly, of its own accord, Glalie let out a powerful Icy Wind attack, chilling the air around to subzero temperatures. The meteors started falling out of the air as the cold sapped their energy to stay aloft, disintegrating in mid-air. But it wasn't enough as the last wave of meteors approached. Growling, the Face Pokémon shut off its attack and instead went into a Gyro Ball, battering through the projectiles without heed of its own safety, thinking only of the safety of its comrade.

'Glalie…' murmured Ash, stunned at his Pokémon's behavior. The others gaped at the normally mischievous Pokémon putting its life on the line for its friend.

'Swampert, Crystal Shot,' snapped King, and with one bellow, Swampert spat its last Ice Ball attack, a ball twice Glalie's size. An explosion of ice later, and Glalie went flying, unable to take the last attack, sprawling to the ground next to Crawdaunt, emerging from the cloud of smoke with a dazed expression that matched Glalie's exactly.

'No! Crawdaunt! Glalie!' Ash cried, seeing both of his Pokémon out of the fight.

'Hmph, so your Pokémon are fools enough to drag this on,' King said, not even glancing at the cages as two more lights lit up, leaving only two unlit. 'Salamence, one more time. And this time, make it stick.'

As Sceptile watched its foe begin to charge up a second attack, it felt rage burn up in its heart upon seeing it take down two of its comrades. As it struggled to free itself, its eyes fell on Salamence's still-glowing Dragon Claw, and something suddenly clicked in its mind.

Grasping hold of Salamence's foreleg, Sceptile concentrated, focusing energy into its hands, and suddenly they began to glow the same radiant green as Salamence's claws. Before the Dragon Pokémon realized what was happening or have time to fire, Sceptile wrenched itself free of Salamence's grip, struck it over the head with one glowing claw, ruining its focus, and delivered a second swipe to its chest, forcing it backwards in pain.

Max stared. 'Wow! Sceptile learned Dragon Claw from watching Salamence do it! I never thought that could happen!'

Salamence growled, regaining its footing, as Sceptile leapt back to Ash's side. King scowled. 'So, it's come down to two Pokémon apiece. I'm impressed, Ketchum; hardly any trainer of my generation can say the same in a full 6-on-6. But I guarantee I'll be the one left standing, and you'll be watching in horror as your friends go up in flames!'

'Funny, your highness,' retorted Ash. 'I was just about to say the exact same thing!'

* * *

><p>I'll be posting the rest up soon, so please R&amp;R! And please, no flaming!<p> 


	20. Chapter 20 Lightning Strike

**Friendship is Eternal**

**A/N: **Ash, Iris and Cilan find themselves pulled away from their journey at the request of one of their old friends. This starts them on a quest that brings back many old faces, a few new ones, and a challenge that Ash must overcome. Exactly what challenge is this? Well, you're just going to have to read to find out!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything Pokémon related whatsoever.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 20: Lightning Strike<strong>

Ash's friends covered their heads as the Draco Meteor attack exploded around them, splitting the air with sounds that made the deck sound like a warzone.

Finally, when the deafening explosions faded, everyone looked up to see Glalie and Crawdaunt out like lights and out of the battle, Pikachu trying to recover from the barrage of explosions, Sceptile still pinned to the battlefield by Salamence, and Swampert still standing back from the fight, prepared to unleash another of its long-range attacks.

'Oh no!' Dawn cried, even as two more lights on their cage lit up. 'Come on, Ash, you have to win!'

Brock's fists were clenched. 'If only we could get out of this cage,' he spared a glance at the Magma and Aqua administrators surrounding them and the Galactic commanders a short distance away, holding Ash's ex-challengers hostage. 'But if we try anything, they're doomed!'

Suddenly, everyone became aware of a light groaning, and they all turned to see Leaf, leaning against the cage bars, groggily shaking her head, trying to regain her bearings.

'Leaf!' exclaimed Brock, moving to her side. 'Are you alright?'

'Ugh,' moaned the girl, 'W…where am I? What happened?' She looked around, as if realizing where she was for the first time. When her gaze landed on Brock, she gasped. 'You…you're Ash's friend, Brock Stone, right?'

'Er, yes,' answered Brock slowly. 'Do you remember what happened a while ago?'

Leaf nodded, her eyes watering. 'Yes,' she murmured, 'I remember. I remember Team Galactic capturing me in Sinnoh a few days ago, I remember staring at that old man with the odd white hair and his Slowking, I remember battling Ash, I remember…' her voice choked up, '…remember saying all those things to him…things I didn't really mean…'

Everyone exchanged concerned glances; even the normally boisterous Bianca was worried. Dawn sidled up to her. 'It's okay,' she said, placing her hand on her shoulder. 'We know you didn't mean it.'

Leaf sniffed, then wiped her eyes with her wrist. 'Where's Ash now?'

'Battling for our lives against King, the last member of the Checkmate Five,' replied Misty, her eyes darting back to the battle. 'If he loses, we're history.'

'What?' gasped Leaf, trying to stand up, 'Let me see!'

'Wait,' Tracey interrupted, as Leaf managed to get to her knees. 'Repeat what you said at the very start. You said something about a…a Slowking, right?'

Leaf blinked, but nodded. 'Yes. Some creepy old man with white hair owned it, and I remember it looking right at me. The next thing I knew, I was battling Ash for all I was worth.'

'White hair?' repeated Cilan. Turning around, he glanced at the VIP box, where the four bosses were watching the battle with earnest. Slowly, his eyes drifted to the white-haired Phoebus, then they widened when he saw the Pokémon standing slightly behind him. 'That must've been Phoebus, and that's his Slowking there!'

'Of course!' exclaimed Tracey. 'The Checkmate Five must've been brainwashed by Slowking's psychic powers, then manipulated to battle Ash! That must be why-mmhh!'

'Sssh!' hissed Misty, who had clamped a hand around his mouth. 'We can't let those admins know we're on to them!'

'Well, if that's the case, how on Earth are we going to get that Slowking out of the picture?' Khoury muttered. 'In case you haven't noticed, we're kind of stuck in this cage!'

* * *

><p>Ash wasn't sure how many times he had come to this same position: both he and his opponent having exactly the same number of Pokémon, both facing off in the finale of a really important battle. His opponent stared at him from the other end of the field, his Pokémon poised to pound his own team into the dirt, and his own Pokémon standing protectively in front of him, determined to do the exact same to them.<p>

King tilted his head slightly. 'Looks like speed is all you're left with, Ketchum. Let's do something about that. Swampert, Swamp Barrage!' With a bellow, his prize battler released another barrage of glowing blue mud clumps at his opponent's Pokémon.

'Pikachu, Sceptile, dodge now!' ordered Ash. As his Pokémon raced out of the way, the attack spraying bits of mud all over the field, Ash's mind was spinning, trying to come up with a strategy. _Okay, think, Ash. Sceptile has the best chance of taking out either of King's Pokémon, but he can't take on both at once. With Swampert's typing, Pikachu can't even hit it with enough power, and Salamence isn't much better; I mean, it took a full Thunder and is still standing! Wait…maybe there's something else I can use…_

'Pikachu, Iron Tail on Salamence! Sceptile, Quick Attack on Swampert!' he shouted out. Pikachu leapt for the Dragon Pokémon, its tail taking on a shiny metal coating, and Sceptile surged for Swampert in a blur of speed.

'Haven't you learned, Ketchum?' King snapped. 'My Pokémon can't be beaten at long or close range! Salamence, Flash Talon! Swampert, wait till the last moment, and then use Dynamite Knuckle!'

In the second that it took for Sceptile to reach its target, Ash just managed to recognize this situation as a similar one against the Arm Thrust Pokémon of a certain Arena Tycoon. 'Sceptile, jump and use Bullet Seed!'

A second before Sceptile charged headlong into a glowing orange fist, it leapt up and over the Mud Fish Pokémon, spitting out a fusillade of seed bullets that battered into Swampert's back. Swampert groaned and buckled under the impact.

At the same time, Pikachu leapt around Salamence's glowing claws and managed to bean it on the head with its iron-hard tail. But this time, when it connected, a jolt of electricity surged from Pikachu's tail into Salamence, and the Dragon Pokémon winced as all its muscles seized up.

'Static,' cursed King. 'A little paralysis isn't going to stop me! Salamence, Gatling Flame! Swampert, use Quagmire Surge!' Despite the electric shock, Salamence managed to spit out a barrage of fiery sparks that scorched the Mouse Pokémon, sending it skittering backwards from the flame. At the same time, Swampert's body released a whirling shockwave of brown, muddy water, blowing Sceptile back.

'Pikachu! Sceptile!' Ash shouted. Pikachu got weakly to its feet, but winced as Ash saw an angry reddish burn cover its belly. Sceptile regained its balance, but a splatter of mud streaked across its face and its eyes screwed shut from the mud-filled water in its eyes.

'Oh no!' Max groaned. 'Now Pikachu is burned and Sceptile is blinded! What else can go wrong?'

'I'll take that as an invitation, Mr. Maple!' King chuckled. 'Swampert, throw it back, and Salamence, torch it with another Gatling Flame!' In one smooth motion, Swampert grasped Sceptile in its massive hands and hurled it bodily over its head, back towards Ash. If that wasn't enough, Salamence raised its head and pummeled the Forest Pokémon with another Ember attack, sending it crashing to the deck in a shower of sparks.

'Sceptile, no!' Ash shouted.

'Show's over for Sceptile, Ketchum, and your friends are next!' King yelled. 'Swampert, Crystal Shot, rapid fire! Salamence, Emerald Gale!'

Once more, Swampert charged up and unleashed three ice orbs in rapid succession and growing size. As they flew over Salamence's head, the Dragon Pokémon again sent them rocketing forward with another blast of green wind like frozen cannonballs.

Ash quickly glanced over at Pikachu, and his long-time partner gave a determined nod. 'Pikachu, Volt Tail combo, full speed ahead!' Ignoring the pain from the burns, Pikachu shot forward like a thunderbolt, electricity surging over its body and illuminating its form in a crackling yellow aura, its body only visible as a black-lined silhouette as its tail started to harden to metal and flare up like a strobe light.

Everyone watched in a mixture of excitement, horror and anticipation as the Mouse Pokémon flew past Sceptile, leapt into the air, curled into a ball and spun head-over-tail, its lightning-bolt tail slicing the air like an electrified buzzsaw. The Ice Ball attacks were literally annihilated as Pikachu ploughed through them and the Dragonbreath attack.

King gritted his teeth. 'Salamence, maximum power! Swampert, Swamp Barrage! Shut it down!' Salamence planted its feet and forced more power into its Dragonbreath attack, slowing the attacker's charge as its partner let loose with another salvo of blue mud globs.

'No way!' Ash yelled. 'I'm this close to saving my friends, and I'm not going to let anything stop me! Pikachu, Thunderbolt counter-shield!' Lightning erupted from the small Mouse Pokémon's body, generating more energy than anyone thought a simple Pikachu could ever release as Ash's prize partner pushed the limits of its strength. The Mud Shot exploded like fireworks, as even the reinforced Dragonbreath was no obstacle to Pikachu.

'Stop it! Crystal Shot and Dynamite Knuckle!' bellowed King, even as Salamence was practically blown off its feet from the triple attack. Swampert roared, fired one last Ice Ball attack and lunged forward, its fist glowing with orange light once again. The Ice Ball was obliterated against the spinning electrical missile, but Swampert's devastating Dynamicpunch met the powering Pikachu head-on, and a deafening explosion split the air.

Ash, King and everyone around were practically deafened by the overwhelming attack. Swampert went skidding backwards, its arm and body sparking with electricity just like Salamence, but Pikachu was turned into a missile, flying backwards right into Sceptile's chest as it was staggering upright, knocking it flat on its back again.

'_Pikachu!_' screamed Ash, seeing his partner get hammered by the massive attack. Sceptile, reeling from the hit, turned to see Pikachu sprawled on the deck, burned, battered, bruised, and clearly in no more shape to fight.

'_Tile!_' it cried, seeing its comrade in such bad condition. Pikachu, teetering on the brink of collapse, rolled back onto its chest, and tried to push itself back upright, but it just couldn't muster up the strength.

Ash started forward to get his buddy, but a shout from King stopped him. 'Not another step, Ketchum! That little mouse isn't gone yet, the fainted light isn't on, and by my book it's still in this fight! Pull it out, and you automatically forfeit, meaning your friends are history!'

'Are you out of your mind?' yelled Ash back. 'Can't you see Pikachu can't battle any more?'

'Unless you want your human friends to live, you'll leave your Pokémon in the fight!' King shouted right back, a slightly crazed look in his otherwise blank eyes. 'Or is the life of your very first partner Pokémon more important than that of your friends?'

Ash halted in his tracks, clearly torn in his decision. His head turned back to his caged friends and their Pokémon, staring at their friend in dismay.

'Brendan…' murmured May.

'Time's up! Now you're history! Salamence, Armageddon, Macross mode!' King bellowed. The battle-weary but still able Salamence flared with orange energy, but instead of shooting a mortar-like sphere into the air, the draconic energy was released in the form of a hundred orange energy rockets straight forward, arcing through the air straight for Sceptile, Pikachu and Ash.

'No!' yelled Ash.

Suddenly, Sceptile's body started to glow with a shimmering green aura, as adrenaline forced it to its feet. Of its own volition, its Leaf Blade attacks extended and it darted in front of Pikachu. Ash could barely see the Grass-type's arms as it sliced through virtually every Draco Meteor attack that came its way, as the remainder flew past it and Ash, detonating behind him over the ocean and filling the air with explosions.

Everyone stared in awe at the Forest Pokémon. 'Overgrow...' murmured Tracey.

Ash's black hair rippled as the attack flew past him, staring right in the face of his opponent. The explosions behind him shrouded his face in shadow. 'That's it,' he said softly. 'This ends now. I'm going to save my friends now. All my friends. My Pokémon, my companions, everyone. And to do that, I'm going to beat you.' Sceptile snarled in agreement as it sliced down the last meteor.

'You're delusional, Ketchum,' spat King.

'No, not delusional,' retorted Ash. 'Dead-set. Sceptile, Solarbeam!' Sceptile's body, still glowing with green power, started to shimmer as solar energy was absorbed into the six seedpods on its back.

'Crystal Shot!' King shouted. For the last time, Swampert started to form another supersized Ice Ball in its mouth, but the electricity crackling over its skin ruined its focus and slowed it down.

Ash was about to tell Sceptile to dodge, but a moan from the field caught his attention. Pikachu had managed to push itself to all fours, pooling the last of its flagging strength, and was looking right at him.

Ash knew exactly what his partner was planning, but his train of thought was interrupted when King yelled, 'Fire!' and his Pokémon blasted the huge Ice Ball right at the immobile Sceptile.

'Sceptile, backflip!' Ash yelled. 'Pikachu, Electro Ball!'

'What the –' King sputtered, thrown off by the fact that the Mouse Pokémon had enough spark to launch another attack.

A glint appeared in Sceptile's eye, and leapt into the air, the Ice Ball shooting right under it to fly off the ship's side into the ocean. At the point where it was upside-down in mid-air, Pikachu, calling on all its remaining electricity, focused it all into a single electrical orb at its tail and threw it right at Sceptile.

'Now, Sceptile, swallow it and charge up!' Ash shouted. Sceptile obediently opened its mouth and swallowed the attack, then opened its eyes wide as a power surge coursed through its body. Electricity arced between its leaves, its solar-charged seedpods glowed like flashbulbs, and its bushy tail flared with thunder. Its reptilian eyes now glowed a mixture of yellow and green as it landed on the ground.

'Grah! Salamence, Take Wing!' barked King. Salamence spread its wings, but a surge of electricity seized up all its muscles and it couldn't move an inch. 'No! Not now!'

'Sceptile, time to save our friends!' Ash bellowed at the top of his voice. 'Dragon Claw, then use Voltic Solarbeam, full power!' Sceptile gave the loudest roar Ash had ever heard it make, and shot forward like it was fired out of a cannon.

Before King had a chance to react, Salamence was sent flying from a devastating clawed uppercut, landing behind Swampert, who was also caught in the grips of its paralysis. The next moment, a blast of glowing gold solar energy blazed from Sceptile's mouth, bolts of electricity crackling alongside it. Swampert roared in agony as it took the full force of the energy attack, but Salamence echoed its cries as the electrical offshoots of the combination attack arced around the Mud Fish Pokémon and struck the Dragon Pokémon as well.

Everyone stared as the battlefield was lit up like a Christmas tree from the devastating attack, finally cumulating in a devastating explosion that blew both Pokémon backwards and their trainer clear into the air. King crashed into the deck railing behind him and landed flat on his face, as Salamence and Swampert slumped to the ground, out cold.

Ash couldn't move for a moment, only hearing the roar of adrenaline in his ears, and then everything started up again and he realized what had happened. 'You did it, Sceptile! Pikachu!' he shouted, running onto the field, scooping up his Pokémon and hugging Sceptile around the neck.

Pikachu gave a weak squeak and closed its eyes in Ash's arms, as Sceptile grinned and sat down heavily. Then, Ash remembered where he was and what had happened. 'Alright, you four, I did as you said!' he shouted at the four bosses. 'I won my challenges, so let my friends go!'

The four men exchanged looks. 'Very well,' Maxie said. 'A deal's a deal.' A moment later, the bars on one side of the stacked cages fell away, releasing their occupants. The Magma and Aqua admins were expressionless as their ex-captives clambered out of the cages and rushed to their friend.

'Ash! You did it!' the girls all gave Ash an enormous hug as the boys clapped him on the back.

'Amazing battle, Ash,' Cilan said. 'Never in my life have I seen recipes and strategies as exquisite and incredible as yours!'

'You did it! You won! You won!' Bianca was bouncing up and down in excitement.

'I've never seen you battle like that before, Ash!' Max exclaimed. 'You were incredible!'

Ash smiled. 'When it comes to my friends, I'll battle my hardest to keep you all safe.' Then, his gaze turned to Leaf, who was standing nervously at one side. 'Leaf…'

'I'm sorry!' Leaf blurted out, bowing her head. 'I'm so, so sorry! I didn't mean anything I said, I'm sorry for battling you, for putting your friends at risk…'

'Leaf,' Ash reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. 'Don't worry about anything you said. I'm still your friend, and I always will be.'

Leaf looked up at her old friend's smiling face, blinked away a few tears, and slowly smiled as well.

Iris just stared at the boy she had considered a kid for as long as she knew him. 'Ash…I never knew you could be so mature.'

Ash just grinned at her. 'Like I said, I'm not such a kid that I don't take things seriously when I have to.'

'Ash, great job,' Tracey said, 'but we've got a problem. We know why the Checkmate Five were battling you: they were being controlled by…'

'Well, Mr. Ketchum,' said Giovanni, cutting off Tracey's words, 'I must admit, you have proven to be less of a thorn in our sides than we thought, and more of a true impedance to our plans.' Everyone turned to the top box where all four bosses were standing up.

'Good to know where I stand with you,' Ash shot back. 'Now let us off this ship!'

'And give us back our Pokémon!' Misty added.

'And free our friends!' put in Lyra, glancing at the unconscious trainers held by the Galactic commanders.

Ash suddenly felt a sense of foreboding when all four bosses gave equally evil grins. 'Yes, about that…' Phoebus chuckled, '…well, now that we recall, we never said what would happen after you freed all your friends, did we?'

'What?' Ash exclaimed as everyone gasped.

'With all the victories you've achieved so far, we've decided that you and all your friends are far, far too meddling for us to just turn loose,' Maxie said. 'Therefore, we're just going to get rid of you here and now.'

'But don't worry, we're not going to throw you overboard; that would be much too simple,' added Archie, a feral grin crossing his bearded face. 'No…we and our Pokémon are going to tear you apart ourselves, limb from limb!'

'You can't!' cried Max, taking a step back. Sceptile tried to stand in between them and the four Team bosses. But a moment later a blue-flamed Inferno attack blasted into the Forest Pokémon, blowing it to one side and knocking it out.

'No smart ideas, brat,' cackled Courtney, her Houndoom's mouth still smoking. 'None of you are leaving this ship alive.'

The captive Pokémon bellowed and tried to move to defend their trainers, but Archie beat them all to it. 'Walrein, Blizzard!' he shouted, hurling a Poké-ball that unleashed a huge blue walrus-like Pokémon with thick white whiskers. In one smooth motion, it breathed out a gigantic blast of ice and frigid wind that froze all of them solid, even the Ice-type Mamoswine.

'Our Pokémon!' cried Iris, trying desperately to keep her cool at the sight of the massive Ice-type, thankful that Axew was still tucked in her hair.

'Let the fun begin,' Phoebus said darkly. 'Slowking, Magnezone, front and centre.' He threw out one Poké-ball as the pink, shell-crowned Pokémon levitated itself out of the box and onto the field. The Poké-ball released a floating Pokémon that resembled a metal UFO with one main red eye and two smaller ones on its sides, magnet-like arms and a yellow antenna. The red eye glared at the group as its body sparked with electricity.

'Walrein, Tentacruel, shiver their timbers,' snarled Archie, releasing one Poké-ball as his Walrein turned to face the rest, which opened to reveal a large blue Pokémon resembling a large blue jellyfish with red eye markings on its head and two real, evil-looking eyes underneath its body, two long nose-like stingers, and dozens of long tentacles.

'Magcargo, Arcanine, let's start the fire,' spoke Maxie, calmly pitching two Poké-balls into the air. They opened to reveal a huge dog with an orange-and-black striped coat and a furry, leonine mane and tail, and a snail-like Pokémon with a spiraling shell and a body that looked to be made of pure molten magma. Both had menacing looks on their faces as they faced their targets.

'Claydol, Rhyperior, crush them,' Giovanni lastly intoned, extracting two Poké-balls from his jacket and releasing the creatures within, as a brown, levitating clay statue-like Pokémon with eight pink eyes on its head pointing every which way and white markings on its rotund body, and a huge bipedal rhino covered in grey rocky skin, orange stone plate and an enormous drill-like horn emerged onto the deck.

Ash looked at the array of murderous-looking Pokémon. 'I'm the one you have a problem with; leave my friends out of this!'

'All the more reason why we _shouldn't_ leave them out,' replied Maxie nonchalantly. 'You've been such an annoyance to us; I want you to watch as we terminate your friends one at a time…that ought to be enough to break you, before we _break_ you.'

'Tentacruel, first blood is yours,' said Archie. 'Snare those girls with Constrict; I want to watch them _scream_ as they are crushed like cans.' With a growl, the Jellyfish Pokémon lashed out its toxic stingers towards the group. Ash gritted his teeth as he stepped in front of his friends. He wasn't going to let any of them die, even if he had to give up his life for them. No two ways about it.

* * *

><p>Wow, I can't believe it's been almost a year since I posted this, and I also can't believe it's almost done! Only a few more chapters to go!<p>

I'll be posting the rest up soon, so please R&R! And please, no flaming!


	21. Chapter 21 Final Gambit

**Friendship is Eternal**

**A/N: **Ash, Iris and Cilan find themselves pulled away from their journey at the request of one of their old friends. This starts them on a quest that brings back many old faces, a few new ones, and a challenge that Ash must overcome. Exactly what challenge is this? Well, you're just going to have to read to find out!

P.S. Sorry for the long wait, midterms and exams were smothering me.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything Pokémon related whatsoever.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 21: Final Gambit<strong>

'Archeops, Ancientpower!'

'Braviary, Hyper Beam!' Two yells suddenly cut everyone off, and Archie's Tentacruel was suddenly blasted away by a glowing orb of silver energy and a gold energy beam, knocking back towards the bosses.

'What the blazes?' yelled Archie in surprise, looking wildly into the sky.

The next moment, two avian Pokémon, one resembling a huge eagle and the other a huge Archaeopteryx, swooped down onto the deck and landed in front of Ash's friends, the Braviary blocking them from the bosses and the Archeops blocking them from the admins.

'What's going on? What are these Pokémon doing here?' Brock cried, his head flicking back and forth between the two Pokémon.

However, Bianca's eyes had lit up upon seeing the two people on the Flying-types' backs. 'Hilbert! Hilda! You're here! You're really, really here!'

The brunette boy and girl dismounted their Pokémon to flash twin grins at Bianca, the boy's smile a little bigger. ''Course we are, Bia. You know we'd never let anything happen to you!'

The girl, Hilda, just shook her head, her long brown curls bouncing under her white cap. 'And you give me grief about nicknames, Hilby?'

'It's Hilbert!' snapped the boy in a tone that said he'd been putting up with it for a long time.

'What is the meaning of this interruption?' bellowed Giovanni, the boss of Team Rocket quivering with impotent rage. 'Who are you meddlers?'

'Hilbert Sable and Hilda Frost, at your service,' replied Hilda smoothly, grabbing a few Poké-balls from her satchel. 'We'll be your ass-kickers today, so just sit back, relax, and take it like men!'

'Hah!' jeered Tabitha. 'The two of you against all of us? What makes you think you can take on all of us and our bosses all by yourself?'

'How about you count again, mister?' came a very familiar voice from, to everyone's amazement, off the side of the ship!

As everyone turned to where the voice was coming from, six heads appeared over the railing, as a Kanto region Officer Jenny and Professors Oak, Elm, Birch, Rowan and Juniper all came into view. For a moment, Ash wondered why they all were glowing blue, but then he understood as a huge Pokémon resembling a giant, four-legged crab-like robot with massive claws and a cross over its face floated up behind them, its eyes glowing blue with psychic power.

'You're all under arrest for multiple counts of kidnapping, illegal Pokémon tournaments, and intent to commit murder!' shouted Officer Jenny.

'Mess with one of our trainers, we know they can handle it,' Oak said sternly, his arms folded over his chest, 'but mess with all of them, you'll have us to deal with!'

'Kidnapping our protégés and threatening them with death?' growled Rowan, his white mustache bristling furiously, 'You've crossed the line now!'

'So prepare to be taught a lesson you'll never forget!' Elm declared, pointing dramatically at the bosses.

Matt sneered in derision. 'That's your backup? You think a bunch of old geezers like you can scare us?'

Juniper's eyes narrowed as a Poké-ball appeared in her hand. 'Say that again, buster, and I'll tan your hide right here!'

However, Birch's attention had immediately focused on the sprawled-out figure of King, lying prone beside his two fallen Pokémon. 'Brendan!' he shouted in dismay. 'What did you do to him?'

'Merely what he was expected to do,' said Maxie uncaringly, 'drive Mr. Ketchum here to the brink of destruction, and then send him flying over the edge. But apparently, he just couldn't make the cut. When we're through with this pest here, your incompetent trainer and his companions are next!'

Birch's eyes blazed with paternal fury. '_How dare you threaten my son!_' he bellowed at the Team Magma leader, a statement that left Ash and company (excluding May and Max) blinking in shock, 'You'll pay for that! Metagross, flying Bullet Punch!' The huge Iron Leg Pokémon behind them tucked in its now-glowing legs and went spinning for the bosses like a giant flying discus.

'Houndoom, stop it!' Courtney shouted as the Professors and Officer Jenny dropped to the deck. 'Fire Spin!'

'Flamethrower, Octillery!' barked Matt. Both the Jet and Dark Pokémon sent spiraling blasts of flame at Metagross, forcing it to break off its attack as it dodged.

'You want to play with heat?' snapped Juniper, hurling her own Poké-ball. 'Volcarona, time to shine!' In a blaze of light, a huge moth-like Pokémon with a feathery white body and six red wings that flickered like sunspots appeared in the air, waves of heat billowing forth with every flap of its wings.

'Rotom, overdrive! Ominous Wind!' Rowan shouted, tossing out a blue Poké-ball with yellow lightning-shaped stripes. A bolt of electricity arced out of the Poké-ball as it opened, revealing a small, orange, wisp-like Pokémon with an electric-blue aura, two lightning bolts forming arms. Quickly, it spun around and sent a whirl of purple-tinted wind storming at the Team Aqua and Magma admins, scattering their Pokémon from Ash's friends' frozen Pokémon.

'Volcarona, free them with Heat Wave!' called Juniper. Volcarona gave a mighty flap of all six of its glowing-red wings, sending a wave of smothering heat at the captured Pokémon. The heat was powerful enough to thaw out the captured Pokémon in less than a second, but lasted just briefly enough to avoid burning them.

'Magnezone, Discharge!' snapped Phoebus. His Magnezone uttered a single tone and sent bolts of blue lightning flying all over the deck.

'Arcanine, Extremespeed!' ordered Maxie at the same time, as the Legendary Pokémon took off like a streak of light, racing right for Ash and his friends.

'Mienshao, Quick Guard, fast!' retaliated Hilda, flicking out one Poké-ball that released a humanoid ermine-like Pokémon with purple and white fur and long sleeve-like arm tufts. Before anyone could blink, Arcanine was thrown back after ramming headfirst into a circular red shield of energy generated in front of it.

'Carracosta, Wide Guard!' shouted Hilbert, throwing out a Poké-ball at lightning speeds. In a flash of light, a huge blue sea turtle with black plates appeared, and in one smooth motion, swept its flippers to either side. A bronze wall of energy appeared in front of it, stretching to cover itself, Archeops, and Ash and all his friends. The Discharge attack struck the barrier but just bounced off, not harming anyone in the slightest.

'Now counter! Hidden Power!' called Hilda. Numerous energy orbs formed around Mienshao's body, and with one flick of its sleeves, were sent flying at Arcanine and Magnezone like bullets. Both Pokémon growled as the balls exploded against their bodies.

'Rhyperior, Drill Run!' ordered Giovanni, as the huge grey rhino-like Pokémon stampeded at the two Pokémon, its main drill-like horn spinning violently.

'Axew, Dragon Rage!' yelled Iris in panic. The small Tusk Pokémon leapt bravely out of its trainer's hair and sent a dragon of blue fire arcing at the charging Rhyperior.

'Oh no!' Oak exclaimed, rushing forward. 'Dragonite, go! Aqua Tail, now!' He hurled a Poké-ball of his own to release a huge orange dragon with small, powerful wings, twin antenna, and a huge heavy tail that already had water rings flaring up around it. Rhyperior merely winced as the Dragon Rage crashed into its face and dissipated, but a powerful watery tail slam from Dragonite sent it stumbling off to one side.

Elm darted past the melee towards the Galactic Commanders. 'Hand over those trainers this instant!' he cried.

'No chance, you old fool!' Mars snapped. 'You just sealed their fate! Purugly, cut them up with Fury Swipes!' The Tiger Cat Pokémon snarled, extending its claws.

'Porygon, 2, Z, deploy!' called Elm, throwing out three Poké-balls at once, all three bursting open in rapid succession and releasing three pink and blue Pokémon in mid-air. The first looked to be a crude computer rendering of a bird, formed out of angular polygonal shapes. The second was much larger, looking similar to the first but instead formed out of smooth rounded shapes and bearing more of a resemblance to a duck. The third was the smallest, floating in mid-air like a sprite with two waving blue arms and a distended head with two confused-looking yellow eyes.

'Porygon, Thunder Wave that Purugly! Porygon-Z, use Psychic to rescue Ethan and his friends!' Elm ordered in rapid succession. The first angular Virtual Pokémon sent a weak jolt of electricity pulsing at Purugly, freezing it in place for a second as its body seized up. At the same time, the eyes of its smaller, sprite-like evolutionary form glowed blue, and the three trainers were whisked away from the Galactic commanders before they could react.

'Now, Porygon2, blast them! Tri Attack!' Elm snapped. The largest middle-stage evolution of the Porygon line gave a beep in acknowledgement, and the blue ellipsoids on its sides and the one making up its beak started to crackle, as energy lines linked the three spots on its body. The next moment, a huge spinning triangle of red, blue and yellow energy shot forward, striking all three Pokémon and blowing them back into their trainers.

'Mightyena, Shadow Ball!' snarled Tabitha.

'Crawdaunt, Water Pulse!' shouted Shelly. Orbs of pulsing shadow and water shot from the two Pokémon at the recovering group of Pokémon.

'Growlithe, Fire Fang!' countered Officer Jenny, throwing out one Poké-ball, then shouting over the boat's side, 'Squirtle, Rapid Spin!' As the growling Puppy Pokémon appeared and shattered the Shadow Ball with a flaming bite, a brown turtle shell, spinning like a buzz-saw, flew up over the side of the deck and intercepted the Water Pulse. The shell dropped to the deck, and the blue-skinned Tiny Turtle Pokémon popped out of its shell, its angular sunglasses gleaming in the light.

'Squirtle!' Ash exclaimed, seeing one of his oldest Pokémon. 'Great to see you!' The small but powerful Water-type turned and grinned at its old trainer.

'Volcarona, Silver Wind!' Juniper ordered. 'Push them back!'

'Rotom, do the same with Discharge!' called Rowan. Whirling crescents of silver energy and blue lightning bolts split the air as the Sun Pokémon and the Plasma Pokémon forced back the admin's Pokémon, clearing a path for the captured Pokémon to make a beeline straight for their trainers.

'Mamoswine! I'm so glad you're safe!' Dawn cried as she hugged her oversized Twin Tusk Pokémon, which looked similarly relieved. The others were having similar joyous reunions with their own Pokémon.

Juniper, Rowan and Jenny moved to their sides, their Pokémon blocking the admins from reaching them. Oak, Hilbert and Hilda were similarly defending them from the bosses, while Elm also backed up to them, his three Virtual Pokémon pulling the unconscious trainers along with them. Birch, carrying his unconscious son, ran up as well, his Metagross hovering over them all as it blasted the bosses' Pokémon with a silvery Flash Cannon attack, driving them backwards. The 6 adults and 2 able trainers surrounded the ex-captives in a loose circle formation.

'Is everyone alright?' Jenny asked.

Misty and Max immediately spun towards Brock, ready to administer their usual treatment, but uncharacteristically, Brock retained his composure. 'We're all fine, Officer Jenny; none of us are hurt, but we only have one of our Pokémon with us right now; the rest of them are somewhere on this ship.'

'So that means we can't get any reinforcements,' Oak muttered, thinking fast. 'Ash, are any of your Pokémon in fighting condition?'

'Sorry Professor, but after Sceptile got taken out, Pikachu's the only one left on hand, and there's no way it can battle now,' Ash replied, looking mournfully at his partner.

'I can take care of that,' Hilbert responded, unslinging his pack and pulling out a small yellow berry and a couple of bottles of medicine. 'This should help Pikachu recover until it can get proper treatment.'

'How'd you find us anyway?' Tracey asked.

Hilda chuckled. 'When a battle is throwing up Draco Meteor fireworks, it's kind of hard to miss, even in the middle of the ocean.'

By now, the bosses and their admins had recovered. The group was now surrounded, with the bosses right in front of them, the open sea behind them, the Magma and Aqua admins on one side, and the Galactic commanders on the other. 'Y'know, I've always wondered how well the regional professors battled,' chuckled Archie darkly, 'I'm glad I get to find out today.'

'Officer Jenny, how long until that backup you radioed for gets here?' muttered Elm.

'Not for another 30 minutes,' replied Jenny grimly. 'We're going to have to hold out until they get here.'

'Ash, where are the rest of your Pokémon?' asked Oak.

Ash's eyes drifted to the forgotten red and white case lying on the deck as he sprayed Pikachu with the medicinal sprays. 'I think they're in that case. There are still a few Pokémon conscious, but after the battle with the Checkmate Five, there's no way they'll be able to help.'

'Let me worry about that,' Hilda spoke up. 'If you can get your Pokémon back, I might have something that could help.'

'Alright then,' Rowan said, his eyes flickering across the battlefield as he weighed his options. 'We don't have a lot of options, but we need to hold out for as long as we can. Max, Lyra, Leaf, and Cilan, keep an eye on Lucas, Brendan, Ethan and Cheren, and try and wake them up. Bianca, Jenny, Misty, and Iris, watch their backs. Ernest, Brock, Tracey and Khoury, deal with Team Galactic. May, Dawn, Aurea and myself will take Magma and Aqua. Sam, you, Will, Hilbert and Hilda will have to deal with the bosses. Are you up to it?'

'No problem, Archie,' replied Oak with a smile. 'I may be old, but I can still battle with the best of them.' Everyone nodded his or her assent at Rowan's plan.

'What about me, Professor?' Ash asked, Pikachu finally opening its eyes and nibbling at the Sitrus Berry.

'Once all the battling starts, you'll have to get to that case, find any Pokémon that are still able to battle and get them to Hilda,' Rowan replied. 'I hate to throw them right back into battle, but we need every edge we can get.'

Ash nodded. 'I understand, Professor Rowan,' he replied. Pikachu swallowed the rest of the fruit and nodded, its strength almost fully recovered from its highly medicinal qualities.

'Enough talk!' Giovanni bellowed. 'Crush them!'

'Go!' yelled Rowan, as the two sides of Pokémon rushed towards each other, one side out for blood, the other prepared to battle to the bitter end to protect the ones they loved.

* * *

><p>As soon as he heard Professor Rowan's yell, Ash and Pikachu ducked out of the melee and ran full-speed towards the case still lying on the deck, hoping to get to it before someone realized what he was doing.<p>

Unfortunately, the bosses did notice him before their Pokémon clashed. Phoebus exchanged nods with the other three, and all four hurled one more Poké-ball each right at the trainer.

Ash and Pikachu halted in their tracks as four more Pokémon burst into existence in front of them: a grey-skinned humanoid wearing a pair of black wrestling pants, with four arms and its entire body swelling with raw muscle, a blue-skinned shark with a pointed nose and a torpedo-like body, another Camerupt, and a small, black-skinned imp with a huge red headdress and collar, and a pair of sharp white claws. All four Pokémon gave menacing growls at the trainer and his Pokémon.

'Stop them!' the four bosses shouted at their Pokémon, moments before they plunged into the melee with the professors.

'Pikachu, Thunderbolt!' Ash shouted, even as all four Pokémon lunged at him with various physical attacks. Pikachu just managed to jump out of the way of Machamp's fists, Sharpedo's shimmering-blue saw-teeth, and Weavile's metallic-edged claws before unleashing a thunderous bolt of lightning at them. The three aforementioned Pokémon fell back from the severe jolt, but the stoic Camerupt took the blast with hardly a flinch, before launching a glowing orb of silver power at the Mouse Pokémon.

'Quick Attack into Iron Tail! Get that Camerupt!' Ash followed up, trying to get around Machamp to the case, while trying to avoid its Strength attacks that shattered the deck around his feet.

Pikachu gave a cry and launched itself at Camerupt in a streak of white light, barely dodging the Ancientpower attack, its tail hardened and ready to smash. However, a second before impact, Camerupt closed its eyes and its body glowed red, deflecting Pikachu's attack with heightened defense.

'Come on, move!' Ash cried in frustration as he tried jumping around the Superpower Pokémon, only for Machamp to grab him around the waist with one of its upper arms and hurl him backwards. At the same time, Camerupt sent Pikachu flying with a cry as it unleashed a wall of earth that Bulldozed the Electric-type.

Despite the attack, Pikachu had the agility to land safely and whip an Electro Ball at Machamp, before narrowly evading Weavile's Ice Shard. The orb of electricity stunned the Fighting-type for a moment, enough time for Ash to dart past it and snatch the case off the deck. 'I got it, Pikachu, let's go!'

Machamp, infuriated, gave a bellow at Pikachu, delivering a truly menacing look at the small Electric-type. Pikachu froze for a moment at the glare, allowing Weavile enough time to strike it with another Ice Shard attack. Sharpedo roared and followed up with a vicious skull strike from its glowing-purple snout, sending Pikachu flying back into Ash's arms.

'Pikachu!' Ash shouted, almost dropping the case full of his Poké-balls to catch his partner. With only the emergency first aid and energy boost keeping it conscious, it didn't look like it could battle for much longer. The four Pokémon loomed over him, their gazes just promising certain death.

'No way,' Ash hissed, holding his partner close to him. 'You're not getting Pikachu. If you want to get to it, you'll have to go through me.' Sharpedo's maw almost twisted into a sneer, as if it was saying, '_That's exactly what we were hoping for,_' moments before it launched itself forward in a rocket-like Aqua Jet attack.

Ash braced himself for the impact, but seconds before the Brutal Pokémon hit, Pikachu suddenly jumped out of Ash's arms and met Sharpedo head-on with an explosive Volt Tackle. Both Pokémon were flung into the air with the impact, with Pikachu only slightly better off.

'Pikachu, no!' Ash yelled, but Pikachu shouted back to its trainer, almost as if telling him to get a move on and to not worry about it. Ash stood there for a moment, before running past the Pokémon that Pikachu had by now lit up in a powerful Thunder attack.

As he ran towards Hilda, Ash spared one glance behind him, only to see Machamp leap into the air, grab Pikachu out of the air, and slam it to the ground. Then, at a cry from Weavile, all four of them practically piled onto the Mouse Pokémon in a flurry of punches, slashes, tackles and stomps.

Ash almost halted and made an about-face with the sight, but then another bolt of electricity sent all four flying away as Pikachu released another Thunder attack before rising to its feet, battered, bruised, but filled with a fire Ash had only seen before in himself.

He almost hated himself for turning away, forced to trust in his precious partner to buy him enough time to win this fight.

* * *

><p>Don't be a stranger, the rest of the battles are coming up! (Hopefully after I finish my exams…)<p>

I'll be posting the rest up soon, so please R&R! And please, no flaming!


	22. Chapter 22 All-Out Warfare

**Friendship is Eternal**

**A/N: **Ash, Iris and Cilan find themselves pulled away from their journey at the request of one of their old friends. This starts them on a quest that brings back many old faces, a few new ones, and a challenge that Ash must overcome. Exactly what challenge is this? Well, you're just going to have to read to find out!

P.S. Sorry for the long wait, midterms and exams were smothering me. And they still are, so don't expect another update until Christmas at the latest…

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything Pokémon related whatsoever.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 22: All-Out Warfare<strong>

Brock's Croagunk snarled as it shot towards its evolved form, ready to revive their old rivalry. 'Croagunk, don't lose your cool! Brick Break, now!' its trainer shouted.

'Toxicroak, X-Scissor!' countered Saturn. As Croagunk's glowing fist came down in a powerful karate chop, Toxicroak's own glowing hands crossed over its head and caught the blow.

'Now, Sludge Bomb, then Rock Smash!' Toxicroak growled and broke the block, before unleashing a barrage of purple toxic globs at Croagunk. Croagunk went flying back with a cry, while Toxicroak leapt after it, fist raised for a powerful hammer blow.

'Porygon-Z, intercept and use Conversion2!' Elm's voice rang out. The fully-evolved Virtual Pokémon zipped in between the two Pokémon like a wisp, its body shimmering with a golden glow. The attack connected and Porygon-Z went tumbling through the air.

'Look out!' Brock called, as Croagunk just managed to catch Porygon-Z as it flew into its chest. The small Normal-type shook itself, the glow fading, but leaving its body with an odd pinkish sheen.

'Yes! Porygon-Z, Psychic!' Elm shouted. The now-Psychic-type's eyes flared with a bright light, and the Toxic Mouth Pokémon was sent flying by a powerful blast of psychokinetic force.

'Scyther, Cut!'

'Purugly, Fury Swipes!' Tracey and Mars shouted in unison. Claws met blades as the Tiger Cat Pokémon and the Mantis Pokémon met in a flurry of slashing and swiping. Both were easily matched, Purugly hampered by Porygon's lingering paralysis and Scyther hampered by its age.

'Double Team, now!' called Tracey. A dozen afterimages appeared all around Scyther as Purugly flew through a false one.

'You think this cheap trick will stop me?' Mars snapped, 'No chance! Purugly, Echoed Voice!' Purugly opened its mouth and gave a cacophonic yowl that caused the real Scyther to wince and cover its ears, its duplicates fizzling out.

'Now, Iron Tail!' At its trainer's order, Purugly leapt at the real Scyther, its coiled tail already taking on a metallic sheen.

'Porygon2, block it! Sharpen!' Elm shouted, turning towards the next battle. The oversized mid-evolution of the Virtual Pokémon floated in between the attacks and started to change shape, its body flattening out to form an rounded shield that deflected Purugly's powerful tail attack.

'Now, Sharpen up and use Aerial Ace!' ordered Elm. Porygon resumed its original shape, except with its rounded nose lengthened into a sharp, tapered spike. The next moment, it rocketed forward like a bullet, striking Purugly with a powerful air ram.

'Skuntank, Toxic!' shouted Jupiter, as the Skunk Pokémon spat out a stream of toxic sludge at Khoury and Gabite.

'Gabite, use Dig!' Khoury cried. Gabite plunged into the deck's surface and disappeared through a hole of plastic and wood as the noxious liquid sprayed all over the deck.

'Porygon, dodge and use Signal Beam!' Elm quickly turned his attention to the last battle. As the angular base-evolutionary Normal-type flew out of the way of the last attack, its nose glowed and retaliated with a powerful blast of rainbow light that blew the Poison/Dark-hybrid backwards.

'Gabite, attack!' shouted Khoury, and in a burst of debris, the Cave Pokémon burst through the deck and battered Skuntank with a powerful uppercut.

Elm let out a breath. The boys were doing fine, but they needed the support from his Porygon team to keep up. But trying to keep up with three battles simultaneously was proving to be a task. Still he had to try; they were depending on him.

* * *

><p>'Octillery, Ice Beam!' Matt snapped at his Pokémon. The Jet Pokémon growled and released a powerful tri-blast of ice.<p>

'Blaziken, Blaze Kick tornado!' May shouted. Blaziken roared and leapt into a handstand, its feet already blazing with fire. As the bullets shot towards it, it went into a helicopter kick, its spinning, flaming legs dissipating the burst of cold energy. The next moment, it leapt for Octillery in a powerful side kick.

'Crawdaunt, Bubblebeam!' Shelly countered. The huge Rogue Pokémon raised its claws and unleashed a barrage of bubbles at Blaziken, who couldn't dodge in time. It was pummeled by the bubbles and tripped, landing on the ground.

'Now, use Water Pulse!' Shelly followed up.

'Octillery, close-range Octazooka!' Matt said. Both Pokémon started to charge up their water attacks for a point-blank strike against the Blaze Pokémon.

'Oh no, you don't!' growled Rowan. 'Rotom, Transform and intercept!' Rotom gave a buzz and darted in between the two attacks, as its orange body started to grow and metamorphose. By the time Crawdaunt and Octillery released their attacks, the Plasma Pokémon had taken on the size and shape of a huge orange refrigerator surrounded in violet lightning. The two Water-type attacks barely phased it as they thudded into its chest.

'What the-' choked Shelly in surprise.

'You should revise your type match-ups!' Rowan lectured. 'Don't you know that Water attacks hardly do anything against Ice-types?'

'Then how about fire?' retorted Matt. 'Flamethrower!' Instantly, his Pokémon let out another gout of fire.

'Rotom, Transform and use Hydro Pump!' Rowan countered. Once more, Rotom shifted its shape, shrinking into an orange washing machine with a blue aura. It aimed its hose-like appendage and fired off a torrent of water that extinguished the flames.

'Now, use Shock Wave on Octillery!' Rotom gave a beep and a buzz, before the spike on top of its head started to spark and glow with lightning.

'Blaziken, Friction Uppercut on Crawdaunt!' May shouted. The Fire/Fighting-type leapt to its feet and dashed forward, its right wrist blazing with flames as it scraped its glowing fist against the ground. No sooner had it made contact, sending Crawdaunt spiraling into the air with a rocket-powered punch, than Rotom let loose the stream of electricity that electrocuted the Jet Pokémon.

Rowan let out a breath, until he saw the two Pokémon pull themselves to their feet. _How much more can they take?_

* * *

><p>'Houndoom, Snarl!' ordered Courtney. The FireDark hybrid bared its teeth and gave a vicious snarl at Volcarona and Mamoswine, causing both Pokémon to wince as sound waves washed over them.

'Now Mightyena, crush that Mamoswine with Iron Tail!' snarled Tabitha just as viciously. His Mightyena growled and lunged for the Twin Tusk Pokémon, its bushy tail already hardened to metal-like densities.

'Volcarona, counter with Flame Wheel!' Juniper called. With a hiss, the Sun Pokémon's wings erupted in flame, and then it whirled towards the Bite Pokémon as a powerful fireball. Both Pokémon met in a shower of sparks, pushed violently against each other for a moment, then sprang apart.

'Mamoswine, quick, Ice Shard!' Dawn ordered. Glowing ice chunks fired from Mamoswine's tusks and shattered in front of the two Pokémon, showering them in ice crystals.

'Double Team, then Shadow Ball!' snapped Tabitha. Mightyena howled as a dozen copies of itself materialized beside it, before they all darted towards the two Pokémon, masses of dark energy forming in their mouths.

'Volcarona, Bug Buzz!' Juniper tried to order, but Volcarona was blown backwards by an explosion of shadow energy before it could release the attack.

'Now, chomp on that Mamoswine! Bite!' Tabitha ordered.

'You too, Houndoom! Crunch!' Courtney followed up. There was a flash of teeth, and Mamoswine was stumbling around in pain as both enemies clamped their jaws on its tusks and thrashed back and forth.

'Mamoswine, no!' cried Dawn.

'Volcarona, now's not the time to be lying around!' Juniper called to her Pokémon. 'Gust!' The Fire/Bug hybrid righted itself, then started flapping its wings furiously, generating a powerful wind that blew both Pokémon off of Mamoswine.

Dawn looked up at the powerful Sun Pokémon, and got an idea. 'Professor, tell Volcarona to use Flame Wheel; I know just what to do with it!'

Juniper nodded. 'Alright, Dawn, go ahead. Volcarona, you heard the lady, Flame Wheel, now!'

'Mamoswine, Ice Shard! Flame Ice combo!' Dawn shouted. Even as Volcarona enveloped itself in fire and dove for the two Pokémon, Mamoswine launched another glowing ice crystal straight at Volcarona. In a flash of light, Volcarona was encased in a glowing shell of ice, its flame still burning within the crystal's depths.

Both Team Magma admins were so taken aback by the move that they didn't have time to counter, and both Houndoom and Mightyena were blown clear off their feet in both a shower of ice and a surge of flame.

'Amazing Dawn!' Juniper smiled, but the smile faded when the two Pokémon rose tenaciously to their feet, 'But could it perhaps work for a little longer?'

* * *

><p>'Walrein, freeze that Dragonite in its tracks!' snarled Archie, as the massive WaterIce hybrid released a tri-blast of frozen power towards the Dragon Pokémon, which was powerfully grappling with Giovanni's Rhyperior.

'Dragonite, Fire Punch!' countered Oak. Dragonite twisted out of Rhyperior's way, throwing the huge Rock/Ground-type off balance, before thrusting a flaming fist into the path of the Ice attack, neutralizing it.

'Rhyperior, Hammer Arm! Claydol, Zen Headbutt!' Giovanni growled. Both of his Pokémon lunged for the Dragon/Flying hybrid, Rhyperior's left arm flaring with power and Claydol's head glowing with a blue shield.

'Not this time, you old geezer!' Hilbert shouted. 'Braviary, Shadow Claw! Carracosta, Aqua Jet!' In a blur of speed, Braviary slashed at the Clay Doll Pokémon with glowing-black talons, and the massive Carracosta threw the Drill Pokémon off course when it rammed into it like a water-propelled rocket. However, both of Giovanni's Pokémon managed to regain their balance in time to repel the attacks.

'Tentacruel, Constrict, then Poison Jab!' Archie shouted. The Jellyfish Pokémon lashed out its numerous tendrils to lasso Dragonite over the wrist and neck, before pulling it in and extending another tentacle, this one glowing with purple energy.

'You want to play that way?' Oak said grimly. 'Fine. Dragonite, spin and use Dragon Dance!' Dragonite's body suddenly flared with azure energy, and it whipped powerfully into a spin. Tentacruel was yanked off the deck and pulled along as Dragonite spun and spun, building up momentum.

'Now, give it back to their side and use Hurricane!' Oak finished. Dragonite grasped Tentacruel's appendage with its free hand and wrenched its captured arm loose. Then it swung the Water/Poison hybrid towards the other Pokémon like a ball-and-chain. Tentacruel let out a groan of dismay as its soft body bludgeoned Walrein, Rhyperior and Claydol, knocking them all backwards. Finally, it released Tentacruel at the rest and flapped its wings, sending forth hurricane-force winds that battered against the enemy team.

* * *

><p>'Arcanine, Thunder Fang!' Maxie shouted, his huge Fire-type leaping forward with lightning-charged teeth.<p>

'Archeops, dodge! Mienshao, Drain Punch!' called Hilda. As Archeops soared back into the air out of range of the Electric-type attack, Mienshao darted forward and rammed a glowing fist into its side, knocking it away.

'Now, Archeops, Rock Throw!' Hilda followed up. The First Bird Pokémon flapped its wings, sending feathers that morphed in mid-air into huge boulders flying towards the opposition.

Phoebus just sneered. 'How about I take a page out of your son's book, Birch?' he said. 'Slowking, Psychic!' The pink Royal Pokémon flared its psychokinetic powers, its crown jewel glowing blue, and every single rock halted in mid-air. The next moment, they all flew into a line, twisted around like an Onix, and smashed aside Archeops and Mienshao with one shot.

'Who do you think taught him that trick in the first place?' Birch countered, 'Metagross, you use Psychic as well!' The huge Iron Leg Pokémon's eyes gleamed blue as well, and the glow surrounding the rock formation flared even brighter, as the two opposing psychic forces battled for control over the rocks.

'Magcargo, Flame Burst!' Maxie growled. The Lava Pokémon burbled angrily and sent another ball of fire streaking at Metagross, where it shattered and seared its metal skin. Offshoots of flame raced at Archeops and Mienshao even as Metagross's control shattered and the line of rocks flew towards it.

'Mienshao, Bounce! Archeops, Sandstorm! Dewott, Razor Shell!' Hilda cried in rapid succession, throwing out a third Poké-ball. As Mienshao rocketed into the air with a mighty leap and Archeops generated a huge swirl of sand to neutralize the bursts of flame, another flash of light released a blue-skinned older version of Oshawott. Drawing the two scallop shells on its thighs, it let out a cry, extending two sickle-like energy blades from the shells, and delivered a pair of devastating slashes at the rock construct, shattering it into rubble.

'Magnezone, Gyro Ball! Slowking, Surf!' Phoebus growled. Slowking's powers glowed again as a water wave started to grow out of nowhere, and Magnezone rocketed forward, whirling like a flywheel with a glowing silver ring around it. Maxie shot an infuriated glare at his associate.

'Iron Defense, and Bullet Punch!' snapped Birch. Metagross shook off the shock of the flames, before flaring its skin silver and bronze in succession. The next moment it took off, spinning rapidly and all four of its legs ready. Both Steel-types crashed together like a pair of battle tops, striking each other powerfully before backing off to strike again.

'Mienshao, stop that Slowking, and then use Low Sweep!' Mienshao did a mid-air flip before colliding with the Royal Pokémon's head, sending it staggering back and sending the conjured wave splashing all over the deck. The Martial Arts Pokémon landed deftly on the deck, dropped low, and kicked Slowking's feet out from under it, sending it toppling to the ground with a thud.

'I ought to get you back for that Surf,' Maxie snarled at Phoebus, 'but just be glad that your Magnezone is out of the way. Magcargo, Lava Plume!'

* * *

><p>'Come on, Ethan, wake up!' Lyra murmured, gently slapping her friend. 'You need to get up and help us!'<p>

'Look out!' Jenny cried as a wave of hot smoke and ash blew past Birch and Hilda and flew straight at them. 'Growlithe, block it!'

'Pignite, Corsola, you block it too!' Misty and Bianca cried out together. All three Pokémon leapt into the way of the Lava Plume attack, as their trainers took cover. The wave of heat and fire flew over them; barely fazing Corsola and Pignite while Growlithe just drank it up as its Flash Fire ability took care of it.

'Good grief!' exclaimed Iris, gingerly raising her head. 'This is what Ash and his friends had to deal with for the last four years?'

'Pretty much,' coughed Misty, 'but I don't recall any enemy teams being this aggressive!'

'Make way! Make way!' Ash yelled, running through their midst towards Hilda, clutching the case-full of Poké-balls and a distressed look on his face. The two girls looked over at him, then back at where he came from, and their eyes widened in horror as they saw Pikachu dodging blows from four different Pokémon for all it was worth, but it was being hit more than it was not.

'Pikachu!' cried Misty in dismay. Squirtle looked over at the melee and its sunglasses nearly fell off in shock. With a yell, it launched itself forward, withdrew into its shell, spun like a tornado, and sent water gushing out from all its shell openings as it ploughed into the group and sent them scattering.

'_Piii-kaaa…_' Pikachu groaned as it tried to push itself up, its body covered in bruises. Squirtle gestured sharply to it, before turning and firing four bullet-like jets of water from its mouth at the four opponents. Camerupt and Machamp were sent reeling from the Water Gun attacks, but Sharpedo just shrugged it off before leaping at the Tiny Turtle Pokémon and snatching it up in its frost-covered jaws.

Pikachu cried out as its old friend was pulled away, but was sent flying by one of Weavile's Metal Claw attacks. The Sharp Claw Pokémon gave a snarl as it raised its steel claws again and leapt at the Electric-type. Pikachu focused the remnants of its electric energy and sent another Thunderbolt arcing at it. Weavile hissed as it took the blast of lightning, but after a few seconds, swept the attack to the aside with its white nails and leapt at Pikachu once again.

'Come on! I don't get it!' Max cried as he paused from trying to shake Brendan awake to watch the fight. 'I've seen Pikachu take down a Weavile with that attack! Why isn't it working now?'

'Maybe that Weavile is at a higher level?' suggested Cilan.

'No way,' Misty shook her head as Corsola tried to run interference with a Bubblebeam attack. 'Pikachu's been with Ash forever! There's no way a Weavile would be at a high-enough level to give it this much trouble!' Her expression clouded over. 'Could Pikachu have gotten weaker somehow?'

'But how?' Iris wondered, watching Squirtle tear itself loose from Sharpedo's mouth and smash into Camerupt with a Rapid Spin. Suddenly, an incident that Ash had told her at the very beginning of their journey suddenly came to her. 'Wait…I remember Ash had an incident with some sort of giant Electric-type Pokémon that overcharged Pikachu; could that be what caused it?'

'Maybe,' Jenny replied, as Pikachu and Weavile traded Steel-type attacks, 'but unless everyone can still somehow pull out a victory, we'll never get out of here to find out!'

* * *

><p>Ash skidded to a halt next to the brunette trainer. 'Hilda, I've got the case! Do what you have to do fast!'<p>

'One moment…Drain Punch! Dragon Pulse! Scald!' Hilda yelled out her orders. 'Okay, open the case.' She started to rummage for another Poké-ball even as Mienshao nailed Magcargo in the eye with a glowing fist, Archeops blasted Slowking with an orb of pulsing green energy, Dewott soaked Arcanine with boiling water, and Metagross knocked Magnezone out of the air with a powerful Hammer Arm attack.

Ash turned and kicked the case violently, but it did not open. He ran his hands all over it, looking for a release switch, but to no avail. 'I can't get this open!' he said in frustration.

'Stand back!' Hilbert declared as Carracosta drenched Rhyperior with a Water Pulse orb, Braviary pelted Tentacruel with a barrage of spinning wind sawblades, and Dragonite ploughed past Claydol and Walrein enshrouded in a blue dragon-shaped aura. 'Pignite, crack this case with Fire Punch!'

With a flick of the wrist, a Poké-ball was thrown that released another Pignite, which was a good foot taller than Bianca's own Pignite. With a cry, it brought a flaming fist on top of the case, fracturing the plastic lid into a dozen pieces. Ash looked inside, and saw to his relief, a huge pile of Poké-balls, all untouched by the heat.

'Alright, Hilby!' chirped Hilda. 'Deerling, come out and use Aromatherapy!' Ignoring Hilbert's scowl, she released a fourth Poké-ball to send out a smallish fawn-like Pokémon with a pinkish, spotted coat and yellow flower on its forehead. It hopped next to the case and started to sprinkle a fine green powder over the Poké-balls. As the powder settled over the Poké-balls, each started to glow bright green.

'Come on,' Ash murmured to the Season Pokémon, 'hurry and heal them! I need your help to save our friends!'

'You should be more worried about saving it, Ketchum!' snapped Maxie. 'Magcargo, Sunny Day, and Arcanine, Fire Blast!' Magcargo bubbled and sent an orb of light arcing into the air, causing the sun to beam down brightly on top of all of them. The next moment, Arcanine breathed out a flaming star that swept through the group, scattering the Pokémon in all directions. Deerling only had a moment to yelp in shock before it was blown almost clear across the entire deck, landing on the other side of the deck.

'Deerling!' cried Hilda in horror.

'Look out!' yelled Oak.

'Slowking, Heal Pulse on everyone,' spoke Phoebus, taking advantage of the lull in battle. Slowking focused energy between his hands, generating a large ball of pink energy. Then it released them into dozens of pink sparkles that rained down on all the bosses' Pokémon. One by one, their flagging energy was restored, even while their opponents were still trying to catch their breath.

'Uh oh!' Birch gasped. 'They've recovered! Metagross, Flash Cannon!' Metagross growled and unleashed a powerful beam of sparkling silver energy.

'Claydol, intercept with Cosmic Power,' said Giovanni. Claydol hummed and floated in front of the attack, its body taking on a shimmering glow, as if it was covered in stars. The beam blasted it square-on, but it hardly did a thing.

'Damn, it raised its defense before it could hit,' muttered Birch.

'Now, use Power Trick and then Earth Power,' continued the Team Rocket boss. Claydol's body then flared with a multicolored aura, before landing on the deck and sending glowing cracks shooting across it. Archeops, Braviary, Dragonite and Metagross all managed to dodge the attack by shooting into the air, but all the rest were blown clear off their feet by the supercharged attack.

'Guys, no!' Hilbert shouted, as he ducked to avoid the blast of dust that sprang into the air.

'Magnezone, Magnet Bomb!' said Phoebus. The huge Electric/Steel-type's main eye glowed, and metallic-steel orbs erupted from it, arcing through the air.

'Shoot, we can't dodge that attack,' cursed Hilda, 'so Archeops, knock it out with Wing Attack!' Archeops screeched and launched itself for the attack, its wings glowing, but instead of striking it, the orbs instead slipped past the Flying/Rock-type and bombarded the trainers instead!

'No!' Ash yelled as Oak, Birch, Hilbert and Hilda were all slammed painfully to the ground, blown off their feet by the attack.

'Nice try, kid!' Archie sneered. 'Boys, you know what to do! Walrein, Blizzard, Tentacruel, Hydro Pump!' A jet of water and a gale of icy wind split the air, and Dragonite and Braviary were blasted out of the sky, half-frozen. Archeops crashed to the deck next to them, its feathers sodden and its body trembling.

'Magcargo, Shell Smash and Flame Burst!' Maxie snapped. Magcargo's stone shell flared white before the glow shattered into a dozen pieces, leaving its body glowing a boiling red, before it launched a bigger fireball than ever. Still stunned by the attack on its trainer, Metagross groaned as the flames seared its metal body, knocking it too out of the air to thud painfully on the deck. Flaming offshoots washed over the other four trainers.

Similar screams filled the air behind him, as Ash whirled around in horror. Houndoom leapt past Mamoswine to smother Dawn and Juniper in thick, cloying smoke before Mightyena blasted Mamoswine and Volcarona with a powerful Hyper Beam. Octillery hammered Rowan and May with stone bullets even as Crawdaunt pinned a struggling Blaziken to the deck in a glowing white pincer and a clutched flailing Rotom in a dark one. Skuntank and Purugly raked their glowing claws across Elm, Brock, Khoury and Tracey's bodies; seconds before Toxicroak struck all their Pokémon in a wave of dark energy. Camerupt and Sharpedo ploughed through Growlithe, Corsola, Pignite and Axew even as Weavile blanketed their trainers and everyone else with punishing Hail.

Ash was totally appalled by their tactics. 'You're attacking the trainers!? What kind of scum are you!?' he yelled.

'The kind who play to win, boy,' Giovanni said unfeelingly, throwing one last Poké-ball into the air, 'something that you will never understand. Persian?' A loud yowl split the air, and a white blur suddenly blanketed the entire field.

Ash was dimly aware of something amazingly fast ripping into everyone on the deck over and over again, as explosions echoed across the field. It was only a second later that he was suddenly aware of a sharp, stabbing pain in his stomach, and his hands instantly went to them. He collapsed to his knees, slowly raising one hand to his face, and his eyes went wide.

His fingers were stained red.

As he lowered his hand, he could see a prim, cream-colored cat with a red gem on its forehead sitting in the middle of the field, calmly washing its paws. Paws that were dripping with blood, one slowly retracting its long claws, the other with a shadowy aura fading from around it.

All around him, his friends and their Pokémon were sprawled across the deck, most barely conscious, some clutching open wounds with their faces contorted in agony. His eyes, now fringing with white, flickered over each one… Misty, Brock, Tracey, Lyra, Khoury, May, Max, Dawn, Iris, Cilan, Bianca, the Professors, Officer Jenny, Ethan, Lucas, Brendan, Cheren, Hilbert, Hilda…Leaf…all of them were injured, battered, driven to the point of collapse…he couldn't protect any of them…

It was like war.

'Damn you, damn you all!' he wheezed. His fists tightened around his wound as he gasped for air…it was getting sort of hard to take breaths…maybe…maybe it'd get better soon….yeah…all he needed was for Pikachu to shock him awake…Pikachu…

He suddenly became aware of Giovanni's Machamp stalking towards it, a malevolent grin on its face. Coarsely, it threw two shapes to the ground in front of him: a bruised, unconscious Squirtle, its shell almost cracked in a few places, and Pikachu…

The yellow Mouse Pokémon was covered in any sort of injury imaginable. Its body was covered with lacerations, cuts and bruises, one ear was badly mangled, his cheeks were only weakly sparking, and its lightning bolt tail was bent at a sickening angle. Its beady-black eyes were closed, and it was lying still…

Too still…

'See what happens when you mess with us, Ketchum?' a voice cackled madly in his ears, as the deck grew moist as tears trickled down his face. 'You've been a real impedance to us for too long; it will feel good stamping you and your pathetic entourage into the dust! Machamp, finish it with Dual Chop…'

The voice faded out as something else started pounding in his head. A beat, hitting the same rhythm over and over again…this was joined by a rumble, then it grew to a roar, as something started bubbling inside him, growing stronger and stronger, straining to break loose, the thoughts of his friends echoing over and over in his mind…

A roar from the Machamp, diving at Pikachu, upper arms raised and glowing a bright azure wiped all else from his mind.

'_NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_'

The world went white.

* * *

><p>It's almost done! It's almost done! If all goes well, this should be done before the year is out!<p>

I'll be posting the rest up soon, so please R&R! And please, no flaming!


	23. Chapter 23 End Game

**Friendship is Eternal**

**A/N: **Ash, Iris and Cilan find themselves pulled away from their journey at the request of one of their old friends. This starts them on a quest that brings back many old faces, a few new ones, and a challenge that Ash must overcome. Exactly what challenge is this? Well, you're just going to have to read to find out!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything Pokémon related whatsoever.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 23: End Game<strong>

Lying on the scorched and scarred cruise ship deck, Brock couldn't recall ever being in this much pain before, even in all his adventures with Ash. The lacerations across his arms and face burned with pain, and even he wasn't sure how any of them would escape.

Just when the thoughts of his family came to mind, a scream split through his head and a bright flash suddenly blanked out his vision for a split second. It took him another second to realize just who had screamed, and when he looked at where the flash came from, his eyes grew wider than they had ever been.

Pikachu, looking more dead than alive, was sprawled on the deck. Giovanni's Machamp, towering above it, had a look of impotent disbelief on its face and two of its arms outstretched. Standing in front of said Machamp was a familiar black-haired, cap-wearing silhouette, with both arms planted firmly against the Superpower Pokémon's, as if actually holding it back with his bare hands. But the real eye-popping sight was the bluish sheen that flared from his friend's skin as if he was an argon fluorescent light.

'Get…away…' Brock could hear the raw, unbridled emotion in Ash's voice, which suddenly grew to an earsplitting yell, 'FROM MY PARTNER!'

There was suddenly a _whoosh_ of air, and just about every one of the enemy Pokémon were flung away from Ash, as a shimmering sphere of blue light erupted from around his body and spread across the deck.

'A-aura,' Brock managed to breathe out before the wave of energy washed over him. He cautiously raised his head, and watched as the energy bowled over the bosses and their admins, and blew over everyone else like a gale. As the glow enveloped everyone around, he suddenly felt the pain in his limbs start to recede.

'Wh-what's happening?' Dawn breathed, lifting her head and looking at the light around her. 'It reminds me of an Aura Sphere!' Glancing down at her arm, she noticed the scratches from Giovanni's Persian fading away.

'It's Ash!' May gasped, looking at her friend. 'He's producing the aura, Max! Remember that adventure in the Tree of Beginning?'

'Yeah!' her brother replied. 'But I didn't think Ash could use Aura himself! What's he doing with it?'

'Hold on, Pikachu,' the glowing Ash turned around and hurried to his partner. He picked up the battered Mouse Pokémon and closed his eyes. Almost instantly, the ambient glow around Ash started to intensify as Pikachu itself started to glow with energy.

'What's going on?' Iris muttered, looking up in confusion. 'Why's Ash glowing? And how are we healing?' She looked at Axew, and saw its battered form look slightly healthier.

As May watched the mesmerizing scene, and suddenly noticing her own aches and pains starting to disappear, a memory of one of her larger adventures came to mind. 'Wait, Max, Brock, do you remember what Ash told us about that incident in the Tree of Beginning?'

'Yeah; he said something about Sir Aaron's Lucario transferring his own aura into Mew to save its life…' Max suddenly gasped in horror, 'by sacrificing his own!'

'But that means…' May trailed off, eyes wide. She quickly looked at all of Ash's companions, and saw that each of them and their Pokémon were starting to pick themselves off the ground. 'He's burning up his own aura to heal us and all our Pokémon!' Dawn looked between Max and May, trying to connect the dots.

'Ash!' Brock yelled, wobbling as he tried to stand up. 'Stop! You won't survive it with those wounds!' Every one of Ash's companions looked at him in dismay, trying to figure out what he was talking about.

'I don't care!' Ash shouted back, clutching his partner tightly, 'If it's either me or you, then..._I...choose...**you**_!' With those words, the glow around Pikachu intensified to that of a flare, as the burst of light blinded everyone within sight.

A few seconds later, as the blue light faded around them, Brock deemed it safe to take a look, almost dreading what he would see.

Pikachu squirmed in mid-air, its yellow striped coat cleansed of all bruises and cuts, its tail somehow twisted back into shape, and its ear restored to its undamaged shape. But its face was a picture of horror as it stared down into the eyes of his trainer.

The glazed, glassy eyes of his trainer, with almost no spark of life left in them.

Ash fell to his knees, Pikachu grasped in his arms. The blood oozing from his chest wound stained both his jacket and the deck around him a sickening red. 'Pikachu, protect everyone. Defeat the bosses…save our friends…' his voice finally trailed off as he collapsed, face-first, onto the deck. The impact knocked his cap off his head to roll in front of Pikachu's feet.

'_Pikapi!_' Pikachu squeaked in fright, as it scampered to its partner. It tugged at his head, hoping to get a response, but to no avail.

'**Ash!**' shouted all his friends, the image of the friend that had brought them all together toppling over like a felled tree echoing over and over again in slow motion swimming through their minds.

'**Ash! NO!**' Professor Oak had a look of utmost anguish on his face at the fall of his most treasured trainer.

'Well, not exactly how I pictured it, but at least that pest Ketchum is finally out of our way,' everyone suddenly heard Maxie mutter as the bosses and their administrators picked themselves off the ground, their Pokémon dazed but still in fighting condition. 'And with him gone, as broken as they are, taking care of his friends will be child's play!'

At Maxie's callous words at his friend's condition, rage unlike any he'd ever felt before welled up inside Brock, and he wanted to do nothing more than pummel all four of those bastards into the ground. A low growl showed that Croagunk felt exactly the same way, even more than its vendetta against Toxicroak, and a glance at his Pokémon showed pure fury etched on his face, as was everyone else as they slowly rose to their feet.

But before any one of them could act, a sharp smell of ozone filled the air, as a crackling sound caught everyone's attention. All eyes turned to the small Electric-type as it reached for its trainer's cap and set it on its own head, the air around it _suffused_ with electricity. The cap fell backwards as Pikachu turned around, its face set into a mask of raw anger. If one looked closely, the familiar spark of battle of its trainer could be seen burning in its own round eyes.

Instantly, Pikachu's gaze fell on the Classy Cat Pokémon sitting amongst all its friends, which had sprung back to its feet and was growling like a tiger. Its ears twitched as it sensed Machamp, Camerupt, Sharpedo and Weavile getting back to their feet. It tensed every fiber of its body, before focusing all the energy that its trainer had given to it into its electrical sacs and releasing it in a massive electrical bolt, all to carry out its partner's last order.

* * *

><p>As Birch watched Pikachu fling itself into battle with 5 experienced and deadly Pokémon, his attention was suddenly diverted by a soft groaning, and he turned to see his son Brendan slowly lift himself to a sitting position. Their eyes met. 'D-Dad?' Brendan murmured. 'What are you doing here?'<p>

'Brendan!' exclaimed Birch, dropping to his knees to embrace his son, 'Are you okay? Are you hurt?'

'No, not really,' Brendan whispered, 'but Dad, I remember…I remember everything I did to Ash… How could I have done such a thing?'

'Hey, it's not your fault…' Birch whispered, hugging his son closer, 'but we've got to get you out of here. With your Pokémon all out of commision, you can't help.'

'But I can't just sit here and do nothing,' Brendan replied, releasing his father and turning to Ethan, Lucas and Cheren, all of whom were getting back up, 'We all got Ash and his friends into this mess; there must be something we can do to get you all out.'

'Well, isn't this sentimental?' sneered Archie from behind them. 'Now that the two of you are so dearly reunited, how about I change that "dearly" into "dearly departed" like that kid? Tentacruel, Acid Spray!'

Even as Tentacruel's front stinger raised and it spat out a stream of steaming blackish liquid, Birch was already moving at that statement. 'You mess with me and my son, _and_ spit on the actions of our friend? Metagross, Psychic!' In a blinding display of psychic energy, Metagross seized the stream of acid, deflected it off course, split it into four separate jets, and blasted both Tentacruel and Walrein square in the face.

'Dragonite, can you stand?' Oak asked the Dragon Pokémon. When it nodded, Oak turned and said grimly, 'Then let's get revenge for our friend. Dragonite, Dragon Rage!' In a blazing plume of blue draconian flame, both of Giovanni's Pokémon were sent flying by the devastating explosion.

'Come on, Croagunk, let's take these guys out! For Ash!' Brock shouted. Croagunk gave the loudest croak ever and gut-checked Toxicroak, which was nearest, before it could react, sending it flying backwards into Saturn.

Fueled by fury, one by one, Ash's friends rose to their feet and started to push back against the teams, trying to get the upper hand before they recovered from Ash's aura pulse. Blaziken's Fire Spins and Mamoswine's Ice Shards trapped Octillery and Crawdaunt in rings of flame and barriers of ice, while Scyther, Gabite and Bianca's Pignite grappled with Houndoom and Mightyena in a flurry of blades, claws, teeth and fists. The Team Galactic Pokémon were pinned under a storm of Croagunk's Poison Stings, Corsola's Spike Cannons, Squirtle's Water Guns, Mienshao's Hidden Power, and Braviary's Air Slashes.

As the Professors clashed viciously with the bosses, lightning split the air as Pikachu faced down 5 Pokémon with a tenacity only seen in the most experienced of battlers. Firing Thunderbolts, Iron Tails, and Electro Balls in all directions, Pikachu was not intending to go down in the slightest. Machamp staggered back from a point-blank Electro Ball, Camerupt flinched from an Iron Tail to the face, and Weavile and Sharpedo fell to the ground twitching from paralysis.

But Persian was just as tenacious, and even more experienced. It fired glowing reddish-bronze bursts of energy that exploded around Pikachu like artillery fire, and kept Pikachu at bay with vicious Shadow Claws and Slashes. When Pikachu jumped back from that and tried a Thunderbolt, Persian launched a barrage of pulsing white orbs that dissipated the electrical energy and pummeled the Mouse Pokémon.

Professor Oak shielded his face as Dragonite met Arcanine's Thunder Fang with a devastating Dragon Rush, before seguing into an Aqua Tail that knocked Claydol aside. As he raised his head, he saw Pikachu just manage to evade Machamp's glowing Dynamicpunch, even after it was electrocuted by a full-charge Thunderbolt. 'Even with Pikachu restored to full strength, it still isn't enough. What could reduce Pikachu's strength like that?'

'Who cares right now, Professor?' Iris shouted, even as Axew spat out another Dragon Rage from her hair to deflect Slowking's Focus Blast attack. 'What matters is how Pikachu is going to get out of this!' A sudden explosion from Magcargo's Flame Burst blew her sleeve loose, and the yellow glass ball she found in the cabin swung into view.

Oak's gaze fell on the small orb, and his eyes widened. 'Wait – is that what I think it is?' He grabbed the orb and took a closer look. 'This…this is just what we need!'

'What is it, Professor?' Iris asked.

'This is a Light Orb, a very special item,' Oak explained. 'No one knows exactly what they are or how they are made, but when a Pikachu holds one, it gives it an extraordinary power boost! If you can get this to Pikachu, it might just have a chance against all of them!'

'You can count on me, Professor!' Iris declared. 'I'll get this to Pikachu!'

'Whatever you pests are planning, it's not going to work!' Giovanni shouted over the din, having saw the two conversing. 'Rhyperior, use Rock Polish, and then mow them down with Drill Run!' The enormous Drill Pokémon bellowed, its orange armor plates glowed red and took on a smooth, reflective sheen, and then it sped towards Oak and Iris like a rocket-propelled truck, drill-bit nose whirring.

'Carracosta, Bide!' yelled Hilbert, and the huge Prototurtle Pokémon blocked the two humans with its enormous body, fins crossed. The drill bit crashed into its armored shell and sparks flew, but Carracosta refused to move, its body taking on a white glow.

'Well, get moving!' Hilbert yelled at Iris, 'we can't do this forever! Pignite, Arm Thrust!' At his call, his larger Pignite planted its feet and threw rapid palm strikes at Magnezone, forcing it backwards.

'We'll hold them off as long as we can,' Professor Juniper said, as her Volcarona let loose another Heat Wave attack that blew against all eight enemy Pokémon.

Iris nodded and hurried across the deck. She ran past Professor Rowan's Rotom, in the form of a chomping green lawnmower, blanket Archie's team in a spiral of leaves, past Lyra, Max and Cilan taking cover with the other Pokémon-less members of their group, past Officer Jenny's Growlithe and Tabitha's Mightyena rolling around in a savage tumble of fur and claws, and over Ash's fallen form…

…she refused to even consider the alternative word.

Finally, just managing to dodge a stray Ancientpower from Camerupt, she had a clear shot. 'Pikachu! Catch!' she yelled, tearing the ball from her wrist and hurling it straight at Pikachu, even as it leapt past one of Weavile's swipes. But Sharpedo, catching sight of her, leapt straight for her with an Aqua Jet.

The Light Ball left her fingers a split second before the Brutal Pokémon rammed right into her chest.

* * *

><p>'Croagunk, Poison Jab to your left!' Brock shouted. Quickly, the Toxic Mouth Pokémon spun and jabbed out, striking Purugly square in the eye and sending it tumbling. As the trainee Pokémon doctor took a breath, trying to regain his bearings, a thunderclap boomed out from his left, almost deafening him.<p>

Machamp, Weavile, Camerupt and Sharpedo all went flying as a Thunder attack stretched to the clouds, spires of thunder stretching out like fireworks. Only Persian managed to avoid the worst of the attack, as it stared down at Pikachu. Pikachu stared right back, the Light Ball tied around its neck and its body now sparking with so much bluish electricity it looked like a Tesla coil.

'What the…' Phoebus choked. 'Where'd all that power come from?'

'_Piii-kaaaa-CHHUUUUU!_' With that cry, a corona of blue-white lightning discharged from Pikachu's body, arcing in all directions. Brock, all of Ash's friends, and their Pokémon threw themselves to the ground as the electrical power arced over their heads, striking all Pokémon standing on the deck. Even the massive Rhyperior and Claydol flinched from the sheer amount of voltage pouring off the small Mouse Pokémon.

Brock blinked. 'D-Discharge? Was that a Discharge attack?' He hadn't seen that much electricity since they had encountered Zapdos in the Orange Islands.

Pikachu snarled and leapt at Persian, which gave an equally loud snarl and leapt right back. The two met in a flurry of claws and metal tails, both fighting to the very limits of their strength, as more electricity went flying everywhere.

Suddenly, the door to below deck flew open and the three members of Team Rocket ran out, James hoisting an oversized sack over his shoulder. 'Hey boss,' he called out cheerily, 'I couldn't figure out which Poké-balls we needed, so we just brought all of them! Hope you don't miiiiii…' His voice, and his expression, trailed off when he realized what he had ran into. His two compatriots had similar, gobsmacked looks when they saw over 30 Pokémon having an all-out war on the ship.

The sight of the three hapless Team Rocket members gave Brock just the opportunity he needed. 'Croagunk, Brick Break them!' he yelled. 'Officer Jenny, Team Rocket's got our Poké-balls!'

'On it!' Jenny called back even as Croagunk flew towards them. 'Growlithe, throw it off with Reversal and then use Flame Wheel on those three!' Growlithe twisted, managed to grasp the thrashing Mightyena in its teeth, and threw it to the side, before turning and charging at the three Pokémon. It leapt and rolled into a flaming ball just as Croagunk sent Jessie and Meowth flying with glowing fists, and rammed James square in the gut. The sack went flying into the air.

Brock leapt and just managed to catch the sack in the middle of the melee. As he fumbled with the opening, Mightyena recovered and leapt at him with fangs bared, but was knocked away by Corsola and its spike-headed Tackle. Misty ran up to him. 'What's this?'

'Team Rocket brought our Poké-balls up here to recall the ones we have, but they brought all of them! This could be our way out!' As he spoke, he untied the sack, but a roar from the tenacious Mightyena diverted his attention again. 'Cover me!' he shouted.

'Mightyena, stop them!' Tabitha barked. 'Double Team and Iron Tail, now!'

Once again, Mightyena duplicated itself into a dozen illusory copies and leapt at Brock with tails glowing, but Tracey's Scyther whipped through with glowing-red blades scythed through them even as Corsola's Bubblebeam wiped out the rest.

'Nice work, Scyther!' Tracey called out, but then a recovered Purugly rammed into it with its own Iron Tail, knocking it flat onto its back. Tracey gasped as Purugly landed on its chest, claws extended…

…but a roar split the air and a steel-plated tail knocked Purugly clear. Tracey looked up to see Brock riding on the square-toothed head of an enormous snake that looked to be made entirely of steel boulders, some with long spikes. 'Guys! I've got our Poké-balls back! Steelix, Dragonbreath!' With a roar, the Iron Snake Pokémon breathed out a blast of green-tinted wind that blew aside the Team Galactic Pokémon.

'NO!' Giovanni bellowed. 'You nitwits!'

'Woobat, get that sack back!' Jessie screamed, releasing the small Bat Pokémon into the air, but before it could even get a foot into the air, a beam of electricity shot out and blasted it out of the air.

'No chance, lady!' Hilbert snapped. Next to her was a black eel-like Pokémon with yellow spots and fins, a red tail, and a red, leech-like mouth. 'Eelektrik, Wild Charge! Whoa! Braviary, Hyper Beam that sucker!' While Braviary launched another blast of energy at Walrein, Eelektrik coiled up and launched itself at Woobat, its head coated in a shield of crackling yellow electricity. Woobat didn't even manage to get a breather before the lightning-charged missile blasted it into unconsciousness.

'Why you-' Jessie also didn't manage to get any more of her impotent rage out before an electrically charged net formed of glowing yellow energy fell over them, sealing them in a voltage-locked cage. The next second, a thousand amps surged through them, shocking them all silly.

Hilbert glanced over to see Hilda grinning at him, a small, furry yellow speck bouncing on her shoulder. 'Just trying to help out, Hilby,' she said cheekily. Hilbert could only groan.

* * *

><p>'Guys, catch!' Brock shouted, as Steelix lowered him into the ground in the middle of his friends. Quickly, everyone darted to the sack and started pulling out Poké-balls, as their deployed Pokémon held off the tenacious attackers as best they could. Brock, meanwhile, grabbed another Poké-ball he found and threw it into the air. When it burst open, it released a round, pink Pokémon with a chest pouch containing a round egg.<p>

'Chansey, listen, I need you to use Softboiled on everyone here,' Brock said. 'We've all been badly hurt, and we need your help. Can you do it?' Chansey just smiled and raised its arms, as the egg in its chest glowed yellow. One by one, Ash's companions' Pokémon started to glow yellow in response, as their numerous wounds, already stanched by Ash's sacrificial energy, started to close over entirely. Even the Poké-balls in Ash's case started to glow orange.

'No! They'll be at full health again!' Phoebus snarled. 'Slowking, Heal Pulse!'

'No chance!' May shouted, throwing out one of her recovered Poké-balls. 'Venusaur, Petal Dance!' In a burst of light, another Venusaur appeared, the flower on its back spinning like a propeller. A whirl of glowing pink petals blew from its flower and battered against Slowking before it could form any energy.

'Yes!' Misty exclaimed, grabbing for her own Poké-ball. 'Okay, Gyara-huh?' Her order was cut off by another stream of light shooting out from the sack, which formed into a small, roundish yellow duck with abnormally wide eyes.

'Psyduck?!' Misty screeched. 'This is not the time! We've got friends to save!' Psyduck just looked confused at the situation.

'Magcargo, Rock Slide!' interrupted Maxie, and as Magcargo gave a bubbling cry, rocks materialized out of nowhere and started plummeting onto the trainers and their Pokémon. As Misty and May frantically tried to dodge the rocks, one in particular fell and landed right on Psyduck's head, before bouncing off.

'This is no time for clowning around!' Phoebus snapped. 'Slowking, use Psychic, then use Heal Pulse!' But as Slowking's forehead gem started to glow pink, it suddenly fizzled out and froze in place. While May looked confused, Misty turned instantly to Psyduck, who had its head clutched in its hands and its eyes glowing blue.

'With Slowking that strong a Psychic, that Disable won't last long!' Misty declared. 'Gyarados, Hyper Beam!' With the toss of her first Poké-ball, Misty's strongest Pokémon materialized in a flare of light and launched a point-blank energy burst at Slowking's face. The Royal Pokémon keeled over unconscious, completely overwhelmed by the last attack.

'NO!' yelled Phoebus.

* * *

><p>'Deerling, you're okay!' cried Hilda, as the small pink fawn raised itself on quivering legs. 'Now, use Aromatherapy and heal them all the way!' Deerling smiled and gave a cry, a strong, soothing smell radiating from its flower. As the Pokémon breathed it in, more of their fatigue was burned away.<p>

'No! They're getting the upper hand!' yelled Matt, even as Cilan's released Pansage and Tracey's Venonat pummeled his Octillery with a painful Bullet Seed/Psybeam combination, forcing it backwards.

'Well that's what you get for playing dirty!' shouted back Lyra, two Poké-balls in her hands. 'Girafarig, Double Hit, and Bayleef, Magical Leaf!' In more flashes of light, Shelly's Crawdaunt was slammed by a double hoof strike from her Girafarig, and glowing leaves launched by her Bayleef pummeled both it and Octillery.

'Come on, everyone, we can do it! Togekiss, Aura Sphere! Piplup, Hydro Pump! Buneary, Ice Beam!' Dawn shouted, tossing her Poké-balls out, one after the other. A small blue penguin materialized and doused Arcanine with a torrential blast of water, a white dove-like Pokémon launched a glowing blue orb that blew Walrein backwards, and a small, brown rabbit with yellow fur tufts enveloped Claydol in ice. Ash's sunglasses-wearing Squirtle flew through the crowd, bouncing off Pokémon like a spiraling pinball.

'Pawniard, Metal Sound! Shelmet, Struggle Bug! Eelektrik, Acid! Braviary, Sky Drop!' Hilbert shouted, throwing his remaining two Poké-balls. A sharp sound of metal striking metal rang out, a wave of reddish energy and a blast of purplish liquid blazed out a second later, and Skuntank and Toxicroak were sent reeling by Eelektrik, a small red and silver humanoid with blades on its head and arms, and a smaller pink snail-like Pokémon with a helmet-like shell. As the two tried to stand up, Purugly crashed on top of them as Braviary soared overhead.

* * *

><p>As Deerling's Aromatherapy faded, Hilda's eyes turned to Ash's battered form lying on the deck, and a cold chill crept over her. 'Oh no, Ash! Lampent, I need your help!' With a burst of light, a black Pokémon resembling an old-fashioned lantern appeared, with a purple flame burning inside it.<p>

'Okay, Dewott, Scald! Joltik, Signal Beam! Archeops, Dragon Pulse! Deerling, Energy Ball!' Hilda snapped out in rapid succession. As her Pokémon's attacks forced the team admins into retreat, she rolled Ash onto his back and turned to Lampent. 'Lampent, I'm sorry, but you must use Pain Split on Ash here! If you don't, he could die!'

Lampent looked down upon Ash's form, especially the wound in its chest and the extremely weak breathing, hummed a bit, then lowered itself down to rest on Ash's chest. As its yellow eyes closed, a pulse of grey energy enveloped both it and Ash. Before Hilda's eyes, the scratches and scrapes on Ash's form started to vanish, and especially the large wound on his chest started to seal over. At the same time, Lampent's form started to look more beat up and weary, as if it had gone through a dozen battles in a few seconds.

Finally, the glow died, and Lampent floated weakly to the ground, damaged, but not unconscious yet. In contrast, the scratch on Ash's chest looked like it was a few months old, there were hardly any other injuries on him at all, and he was finally breathing regularly. Hilda held her breath.

A few minutes later, Ash slowly opened his eyes.

'Yes!' cried Hilda, hugging Lampent. 'Alright, Lampent! It worked!'

Ash groaned and tried to lever himself upright, 'Everyone…I've got to save them…Team Rocket, Magma, Aqua, Galactic…'

'You did save them, Ash,' Hilda said, putting one arm over her shoulders and pulling him to his feet. 'I don't know what you did, but you saved us all.'

'And us included,' said Brendan, he and Leaf standing nearby, as Lucas, Cheren, Max and Ethan helped a dazed Iris to her feet. 'Sorry about everything…'

'D…don't worry…about it,' Ash said, slowly feeling better by the moment. 'Once we get out of here, then you can apologize.'

'No trouble,' Brendan grinned, hoisting up his other arm. 'But tell me, why would you go to all that trouble for us?'

'Like I said,' Ash said, looking all three of them in the eye, 'you're my friends, and that's all there is to it.'

Leaf smiled. 'I'm just glad you're okay, Ash.'

'Yeah,' Hilda nodded. 'Now, come on, or we'll miss the rest of the party!'

Ash grinned, looking over. Pikachu had all but pushed the stubborn Persian to the brink, both Pokémon covered with bruises, scrapes and scratches, but Persian clearly the worse for wear, with parts of its fur singed off. The sight of his partner, wearing his trademark hat, gave Ash new heart, and he took a deep breath. 'PIKACHU!' he yelled.

Pikachu froze, turned around, and on the sight of its partner, gave a joyful squeal and ran right for him. Ash dropped to his knees and hugged Pikachu as it leapt into his arms. 'I'm not going anywhere, Pikachu,' he said, taking his hat back and placing it on his head. 'I'm just fine.'

Persian snarled and charged for the Mouse Pokémon, but the ex-Checkmate Five blocked its way. 'Not so fast, kitty,' Ethan snarled, grasping one of his newly recovered Poké-balls. 'It's payback time for your boss brainwashing us! Typhlosion, Rock Slide!'

'Servine, Leaf Tornado!' called Cheren.

'Torterra, Earth Power!' snapped Lucas.

'Venusaur, Vine Whip!' shouted Leaf.

'Swampert, Quagmire Surge!' finished Brendan. A blast of mud, an explosion of earth, a spiral of leaves, a flurry of vines, and a barrage of boulders later, and Persian was sent flying backwards as the five Pokémon unleashed their devastating attacks.

'Pikachu, finish it! Volt Tail!' Ash yelled at the top of his voice. Pikachu leapt out of Ash's arms and ran at blinding speeds across the deck at Persian, generating both its metallic coating and electrical ram at the same time. It flipped and spun in mid-air, and the flying Persian was batted across the deck like a line-driven baseball.

The shouts caught everyone's attention, and the battle froze as all eyes turned to their recovered friend/enemy. By now, the admins and commanders had been forced to the bosses' sides, with all of his friends surrounding them with no way out. The battered Persian skidded to a halt in front of Giovanni, who barely noticed it, so fixated was he on the boy standing just a short distance from him.

'_Ketchum!_' shouted Maxie in disbelief. 'How?! You're supposed to be _dead!_'

'Ash!' Professor Oak exclaimed. 'You're okay!'

'**Ash!**' echoed all his friends, their eyes lighting up.

Ash merely gave a huge grin, reaching up and twisting his cap backwards. 'You can't get rid of me that easily, Maxie,' he said. But then his grin turned cold. 'You kidnapped my friends, threatened my mentors, attacked my Pokémon, and almost killed my partner.' As his words grew more impassioned, a familiar blue aura started to materialize around his feet until it burned around him like a blue flame. 'I tend to take things like that very, _very_ personally.'

Giovanni's pupils were just two dots in his irises. 'What…what power is that?'

'A power you will never understand,' Ash replied, his voice literally vibrating with aura. 'The desire to guard, the will to save, the emotions to love everyone and want to protect them at any cost to yourself. I would do anything, go anywhere for everyone here, and for one reason only…because they're my friends. And no matter how long it's been since I saw them, Friendship is Eternal.'

With those words, he reached out one hand for the case that held all his Poké-balls. Almost in unison, the entire case burst into light, as if responding to his emotions, as every single one of Ash's Pokémon released itself at once. Appearing in blasts of light, they lined up behind and in front of him, from Bulbasaur, his very first Pokémon, to Torterra, one of his largest, to Scraggy, the youngest present. Pikachu stepped to the fore, the undisputed leader of all of them.

'And right now, my friends are very, very, _very_ unhappy with all of you,' Ash finished, the aura reaching an almost feverish level. 'So…everyone…_**LET THEM HAVE IT!**_'

* * *

><p>"Battle" wasn't the right word for what happened next. The more appropriate term would've been "Slaughter". The bosses and their subordinates tried to escape, but there was absolutely nowhere to run to.<p>

Machamp had barely gotten on its feet before Typhlosion and Venonat blew it back down with a Flamethrower and Psybeam combo, while Scyther and Gabite near-eviscerated Camerupt with twin Cut/Dragon Claw attacks. Sharpedo was bombarded with Chikorita's Razor Leaf attack before Lyra's Girafarig Stomped on it, and Weavile was scorched from Growlithe's Flame Wheel and battered from Squirtle's Rapid Spin.

May's Venusaur seized Octillery with its Power Whip and hauled it off its feet for Blaziken and Mienshao to crush its head between a Blaze Kick and a Drain Punch. Crawdaunt was launched sky-high by Deerling's Double Kick and Archeops's Wing Attack, only for Swampert to pummel it with a glowing-blue Mud Shot barrage. Joltik and Cheren's Servine ensnared Matt and Shelly in its Spider Web and Vine Whip attacks as they tried to retreat, before Dewott and Lampent blasted them free with twin Razor Shell and Shadow Ball attacks.

As Piplup formed a huge Whirlpool attack, Togekiss empowered it with a powerful Aura Sphere before Hilbert's Pignite Focus Blasted Houndoom right into it. Mightyena was caught in a four-way crush between Shelmet's Body Slam, Eelektrik's Wild Charge, Pawniard's Iron Head, and Carracosta's Rollout. Tabitha and Courtney were blew off their feet by Braviary's Air Slash, into a perfect position for Buneary and Mamoswine to freeze them with a dual Ice Beam/Ice Shard combination, moments before Lucas's Torterra smothered them beneath its Wood Hammer.

Croagunk landed one last Brick Break on Toxicroak's mouth before Steelix clobbered it to the deck with a hammer-like Iron Tail. Corsola's Mirror Coat reflected Skuntank's last-ditch Flamethrower onto itself, before Gyarados really extinguished its fire with its Hydro Pump. Leaf's Venusaur set the sky alight with a Sunny Day, before both it and Cilan's Pansage blasted Purugly with a twin Solarbeam attack. Iris's Axew and Ash's Charizard sent a combined Dragon Rage arcing at Jupiter, blowing her into Muk's slimy Body Slam. Tauros's Horn Attack sent Saturn flying into the air, before Kingler pinned him with an open-claw Crabhammer. Bulbasaur pinned Mars's limbs just before Snorlax flattened her with one of its fat-powered Body Slams.

Porygon stunned Archie and his Pokémon with a supersonic Round attack, before Porygon-Z Locked-On to Walrein's flab and paralyzed it with a supercharged Zap Cannon sphere, allowing Porygon2 to finish it with a devastating Giga Impact. Bayleef deflected Tentacruel's final Hydro Pump with a Light Screen, in time for Croconaw to freeze its tentacles in place with an Ice Fang and Noctowl and Heracross to pinion it between their Sky Attack and Megahorn attacks. Archie ran like crazy to get away from Ash's Quilava's Eruptions and Donphan's devastating Take Down.

Volcarona spun in a dazzling Quiver Dance before bombarding Maxie's Pokémon with a devastating Silver Wind. While still reeling from the sparkling energy blades, Magcargo was enveloped in a quagmire formed by Oshawott and Snivy's Water and Grass Pledges, and Palpitoad's Hydro Pump slowed down Arcanine enough for Scraggy to clobber it with its Hi Jump Kick. Tranquill's Aerial Ace went low and knocked Maxie clear off his feet, in time for Tepig to bulldoze him with a sizzling Flame Charge.

With Slowking out of the picture, Magnezone was subject to the full force of Ash's Sinnoh Pokémon. Energized by swallowing Torterra's Energy Balls and Gible's Dragon Pulses, Infernape's Flare Blitz, Gliscor's Giga Impact, Staraptor's Brave Bird, and Floatzel's Aqua Jet all ploughed through Magnezone's Steel-typing defense and sent it flying. Rotom whirled through all 6 of its forms, blasting away at Phoebus with a barrage of Overheat, Hydro Pump, Leaf Storm, Air Slash, Blizzard, and Shock Wave attacks.

Empowered by Leaf's Venusaur's Sunny Day, Sceptile's Solarbeam blew Claydol clear off the ground, where Crawdaunt's Crabhammer and Swellow's Quick Attack took it back down. Metagross's Flash Cannon combined with Glalie's Ice Beam and Torkoal's Overheat to fracture Rhyperior's stone armor and knock it flat. Dragonite's searing Fire Punch sent Giovanni flying, over his defeated Persian…

…and right into Pikachu's Volt Tackle.

The final, lightning-charged blow blasted Giovanni backwards, crashing into Persian and knocking both to the ground in a cloud of dust. As Giovanni's vision faded from the devastating impacts, the last thing he saw was that insufferable Ash Ketchum standing over him, glowing like a star, and the last thing he heard was one, single, unforgettable word:

'_Checkmate._'

* * *

><p><em>Phew<em>. How's that for a finale?

I'll be posting the last chapter up before the year is up, so please R&R! And please, no flaming!


	24. Chapter 24 Wishes

**Friendship is Eternal**

**A/N: **Ash, Iris and Cilan find themselves pulled away from their journey at the request of one of their old friends. This starts them on a quest that brings back many old faces, a few new ones, and a challenge that Ash must overcome. Exactly what challenge is this? Well, you're just going to have to read to find out!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything Pokémon related whatsoever.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 24: Wishes<strong>

For a moment, no one moved, sure that at least one of the bosses would suddenly pop up and start all over again. But the moment suddenly passed, and everyone realized that victory had come at last!

'YES!' Ash crowed, even as Pikachu leapt back in his arms and all his Pokémon crowded around him, roaring, bellowing, and crying out. 'We did it!'

'Well done, Ash!' Professor Oak was the first one of his friends to reach him, 'I haven't seen battling of that caliber for so long!'

'When it's to protect your friends,' Ash replied, looking at his first mentor, 'you can do things that no one can ever imagine.'

'Ash!' came a chorus of voices behind him before he was literally swallowed in a massive group hug from every one of his travelling companions, shouting in joy about how he had saved them all. Ash really didn't quite know who was hugging him him, and was half-sure he was going to be pulled onto someone's shoulders in a second.

The next thing he knew, Brock had pulled him to one side and set him against the railing. 'Thank goodness for the impromptu healing,' he said, pushing his shirt up and examining the wound in his stomach, 'but this needs to be dressed properly if it's going to fully recover.'

'At least you're alive to treat me,' Ash breathed with a grin, 'that's all that matters.'

Brock nodded at his friend. 'That's true.'

Professor Juniper came up, holding a first-aid kit in her hand. 'We brought this along when we got here; it should be enough until we can get you to a hospital.'

'We're all really glad you're safe,' May said, holding Pikachu safely in her arms as she, Dawn, Max, Misty, Iris and Cilan stood to one side, looking on as Brock opened the kit and collected the necessary materials.

'Same here,' Ash nodded, before wincing as Brock started applying antiseptic.

Meanwhile, Elm and Birch were helping the recovered five trainers recall the bosses' and admins' defeated Pokémon and restrain their trainers. 'And that's for kidnapping my son,' Birch said, almost enjoying trussing up Maxie in a length of mooring line that Lucas had found in a nearby storage closet.

'You said it, Dad,' Brendan agreed, recalling the unconscious Magcargo and Arcanine back into their Poké-balls and throwing them into the sack of Poké-balls that Team Rocket had unwittingly brought up with them, after everyone else had retrieved their own. 'I'm just glad that we're out of that mess.'

'If I ever see a Slowking again, it will be too soon,' muttered Ethan, finishing binding Saturn's wrists and ankles together and propping him up against the railing, before moving on to Phoebus.

Just then, Officer Jenny spotted a series of shapes on the horizon, and when she went to take a closer look, she saw a number of police helicopters and speedboats approaching them. 'Finally, my backup gets here…_after_ all the excitement is over,' she said in annoyance. 'You'd think the International Police would be quicker to respond to these sorts of things.'

'_OFFICER JENNY!_'

Jenny stiffened as an overly amorous Brock fell to one knee holding a bouquet of flowers he had pulled out of nowhere. 'I'm so glad you were uninjured in this horrible battle! But although what scrapes you have suffered do not diminish your beauty, they still make my own heart weep with sadness! Allow me to heal what wounds you have sustained from this travesty…_GYARGH!_'

'GET A GRIP, BROCK!'

'_Croak!_'

Brock's tirade was abruptly bitten off by two fists smashing him over the head and a Poison Jab ramming into his back, before Misty, Max and his own Croagunk hauled him away. Half of the onlookers shook their heads at the familiar sight, while the other half blinked in utter shock at the bizarre serenading scene.

'You know, I'm almost glad that he did that,' Max commented, pulling Brock along by his collar.

'Yeah, when he didn't freak out the first time he saw her I was really worried,' Misty agreed, 'I think the stress must have put it off for a while.'

Ash shook his head. 'Hey, did you have to knock him out?' he called out, 'I'm still injured here!'

* * *

><p>Professor Rowan pushed open one more door, and sighed in relief when he saw a green-haired girl and four huge Charizards trussed up in chain alongside one wall of the otherwise empty room. The girl looked up in fright. 'Wh-what's going on?' The four Charizards let out protective growls.<p>

'Easy there. Are you Liza, the owner of the Charicific Valley?' asked Rowan. 'I'm Professor Rowan, the Sinnoh Regional Professor. Don't worry; the battle's over and all the bosses are in custody. Everyone's safe now.'

Liza's face visibly brightened. 'Even Ash and his friends?'

'Especially Ash and his friends. We came to rescue them, but in the end, it was Ash that had to save us. I couldn't believe what had happened until I saw it myself.'

'What happened?'

'Hey, Professor Rowan,' suddenly came Tracey's voice, and the young assistant staggered into view lugging about 9 backpacks and assorted travelling bags with him. 'I found our bags and our equipment; have you found the girl yet?'

'She's in here, Tracey, but she's tied in chain; I'll just take a moment to get her out,' Rowan replied. 'Rotom, Transform and use Air Slash!' Floating alongside him, the Plasma Pokémon beeped in acknowledgement, morphed into a yellow-tinted electric fan. Whirling its blades, a flurry of air saw blades shot out of it and shattered the chains in an instant. The Charizards stretched their limbs and wings as Liza rubbed her wrists.

'Thanks, Professor,' she said. 'Come on, guys, let's get out of here.'

By the time the small group had reached the deck, the International Police had completely taken control of the deck and were thankfully herding the now-conscious, captured bosses and their subordinates into a police helicopter. One officer secured the sack containing their confiscated Pokémon in a metal case.

'Serves you right for yelling so much,' Max said smugly to the three members of Team Rocket, all of whom were securely gagged with cloth. Meowth in particular was literally muzzled.

'Well, with your testimony of illegal Pokémon tournaments, kidnapping, and attempted murder, I'm sure these crooks will be going away for a long time, and maybe for the everything else their organization's done in the process,' one officer was saying to Officer Jenny. 'Well done.'

'Liza! You're alright!' called Ash, as an EMT finished bandaging his stomach wound. 'How are the Charizards?'

'They're all just fine,' Liza replied. 'We were a little banged up from the cage, but nothing serious. But you look like you've taken a beating; what happened?'

'It's a really long story,' Ash replied, pulling his shirt down over the long linen wraps and shrugging on his jacket, as the EMT advised to take it easy for a while. A portable Poké-ball restoration system was humming away, restoring all the Pokémon that had been in the vicious battle one after the other.

'Listen, Ash,' Liza tried to say, 'I'm so sorry I had to do that to you…if I hadn't, the Valley would've been destroyed and the Charizards would be…'

'I know, Liza,' Ash said gently, 'You don't need to apologize; I know exactly what they were capable of…'

* * *

><p>By the time the sun was lowering and the sky was turning from blue to a light orangepurple, the International Police had already finished all their interviews, secured the entire ship, and left with their prisoners. Ash couldn't believe how long it had been; he and his friends had pretty much spent the entire day fighting for their lives, and he and his Pokémon had spent almost 6 hours in constant battle, and 2 hours in recovery. Despite this, it was only now that hunger and fatigue were setting in; protectiveness for his friends had pretty much wiped out everything else.

Right now, everyone was just milling around on the deck, as the last police helicopter prepared to remove them from The Spirit of Pokémon. Ash, meanwhile, was gazing out at the sea and the setting sun, looking incredibly thoughtful. Pikachu, sitting on his partner's head, was watching a few Remoraid leaping out of the ocean.

'Penny for your thoughts?' Ash turned to see May and Leaf standing next to him. 'You look too sad for someone who just saved your friends and took down four of the most vicious crime bosses in history.'

'That's just it, May,' Ash replied, 'I had to save you, because those creeps captured you just to get to me. I've interfered with them so much that they actually labeled me a threat, and used you guys to get to me.' He turned back to the sea. 'It would've been better if maybe you guys didn't know me.'

'Ash, don't say that,' May replied sternly. 'It wasn't your fault that we got kidnapped, it was Team Rocket, Magma, Aqua and Galactic that kidnapped us in the first place!'

'But I'm the reason you all were targeted in the first place,' argued Ash. 'You all almost got killed because of me. How can you still be friends with me after I put you all in danger like that?' Pikachu squeaked sadly from his spot on Ash's head.

Leaf just smiled and took Ash's hand. 'Ash, don't you remember what you said just a while ago? Friendship is Eternal.'

'Yeah,' May said, taking his other hand. 'It means helping each other, not just for all time, but through whatever comes our way.'

The rest of Ash's companions approached, having heard the conversation. 'It means sticking with each other, through the good times and the bad,' Brock added.

'Supporting them through all their endeavors, and them doing the same for you,' Dawn continued.

'Never forgetting the times you've had together, and knowing you're all the better because of it,' Misty put in.

'Helping each other achieve their dreams,' Tracey commented, 'even if it's only from a distance.'

'Teaching them how to be a better person every day,' Max spoke up.

'Showing them there's more to Pokémon than just training, but also actually being friends with them,' Cilan contributed.

'And never, ever giving up on any of your friends even when the odds are so much against them,' Iris finished with a smile. Axew let out a small cry in agreement.

'Friendship goes both ways, Ash,' Brock said, as they all surrounded the one kid that had brought all of them together. 'You'd do anything for any of us, and we'd do anything for you. We're not leaving you or even letting you leave us; that's not what friends do.'

'You're stuck with us until the bitter end,' Misty said cheerily, 'So you'd better get used to it.'

Ash was silent for a moment as he took in everything his friends had said. Then he raised his head, and everyone relaxed as they saw the familiar grin they had gotten to know over the years, although this one was a little less cocky, and a lot more happy. 'Thanks, everyone,' he said. 'I wouldn't have it any other way.'

'_Chaa!_' Pikachu agreed.

* * *

><p>'You sure you don't want to join them, Brendan?' asked Birch.<p>

'No,' the ex-King of the Checkmate Five shook his head, 'they're the one's who travelled with Ash all this time, not me.'

'Leaf didn't, and she's over there.'

'Yeah, but she and Ash go way back,' replied Brendan. 'I don't think I'd want to get in the middle of that.'

'How about you, Lucas?' queried Rowan to his young assistant.

'No, Professor,' replied Lucas, 'I'm still trying to get my head around everything that has happened; I mean, I can't believe I was that fool enough to get captured and battle to kill my own friend!'

'Join the club,' muttered Ethan.

'Oh, come on, you two, quit moping,' Lyra said, putting her arms around the two of them. 'We're getting enough of that from Ash. Cheer up! We won, didn't we?'

'We know that, it's just that…we said and did some pretty awful things to Ash over there…' Brendan muttered, 'I really don't see any reason why he should cut us a break…'

'Brendan, you all were brainwashed, Ash knows that, and he still put himself on the line for all of us, including you,' Khoury replied. 'I think it's pretty clear what he thinks about you – absolutely no hard feelings.'

'I can see that,' Hilbert agreed, as he, Hilda, Bianca and Cheren came over. 'I only just met the guy and I can already see myself being friends him.'

'Yeah, yeah,' Hilda stretched her arms above her head restlessly. 'I'm just wondering when I can get off this boat so I can get back to training…'

'Aw, come on, Hilda,' Hilbert chuckled, 'without saving goodbye to the guy whose life you literally saved? I think you're going soft.'

Hilda scowled at her companion. 'I just didn't want to lose a potential battling partner…from what Professor J said, he's pretty good. Got that, Hilby?'

Hilbert scowled back as Bianca giggled at her friends' antics and Cheren shook his head. 'I concur, Ash certainly is formidable,' their glasses-wearing friend mentioned. 'To overcome my strategies requires a lot of skill. I will have to compose new tactics to surpass them if we ever meet in the Unova Conference.'

Lucas tilted his head. 'But they weren't your strategies; you were under mind control at the time, weren't you?' Cheren blinked at the realization as everyone stifled a smirk.

* * *

><p>'So, Professor Oak, have you finished the arrangements?' Professor Elm asked his older associate.<p>

'I just finished, Ernest,' Oak responded, putting his own Pokégear away. 'They should be ready any minute.'

'You know, I was pondering something for a while…' Elm said thoughtfully, 'I know how long Ash has had his Pikachu, so I know how strong it should be. But what I don't know is why it was so weak for the first few moments of the battle.'

Oak pondered this for a minute. 'I honestly don't know,' he finally said. 'The only hypothesis I have is that that electrical discharge by Zekrom not only de-charged Pikachu such that it couldn't use its attacks for a while, but it also permanently weakened its electrical sacs. That meant its attacks were reduced in intensity and strength, until something such as that Light Ball or Ash's new powers that restored Pikachu's full potential.'

'Interesting theory, Samuel,' Elm said, 'do you think we should investigate it further?'

'No,' Professor Oak shook his head with a smile at his Johto colleague. 'I think this is one event better described as a miracle, and should not be tried to understood by science.'

Glancing at Ash and his companions, Elm nodded. 'I think you're right.'

'Hey, Professor Oak!' Ash suddenly called out. Oak turned to see his young protégé with his regular huge grin on his face. 'When are we getting off this ship? I'm ready to head back on the road!'

'Yes, about that, Ash,' Oak said, looking at his watch, 'Actually, we aren't going to send you all back on your journeys quite yet.'

That caught everyone's attention. 'Huh?' Hilda blinked in astonishment. 'What are you talking about? Professor J, what is he talking about?'

'Ash, I know Liza found you, Iris and Cilan and took you to the Spirit of Pokémon from the Unova region,' Oak explained, 'but have you wondered exactly how Liza and her Charizards found you in the first place?'

'Um…' That question actually left Ash dumbstruck.

Professor Juniper gave a sly smile. 'She knew…because I told her where to find you, after you told me where you were in the Unova Region.'

If the previous statement startled everyone, this one left everyone gobsmacked. 'P-Professor Juniper? You told Liza where to find Ash?' Bianca stuttered.

'Of course she did; I asked her to,' Professor Oak said, turning the stunned looks towards him now. 'I asked Professor Juniper and Liza to find Ash and bring him somewhere; I just didn't expect Liza to use that to her unfortunate advantage.' Liza once again took on an apologetic look.

'Wait, I'm confused, Professor,' Tracey said, looking at his mentor, 'You're saying that you told Professor Juniper and Liza to find Ash in the Unova region, and bring him somewhere, but Liza dropped him off here on this ship because of her orders?'

'That's exactly right, Tracey,' Oak nodded, 'but since we're here, on this rather interesting location, I've decided to bring that somewhere here instead.' He glanced down at his watch, 'and it should be here any moment now.'

Everyone blinked. 'Professor, what do you mean by that?' asked Lyra.

Professor Elm turned around from where he was gazing out to sea. 'I believe your answer is right there, Lyra!' he announced, pointing towards the ocean.

Everyone turned to where Professor Elm was looking, and saw a dot on the horizon, glinting against the setting sky. As it drew closer, everyone started to hear the distinct helicopter rotary sounds and saw the distinct shape of an enormous double-rotor helicopter.

'What's going on?' asked Dawn. 'Whose helicopter is that?'

The helicopter kicked up a load of dust as it finally came to a rest on the wooden top deck, albeit a little shakily as it tried to avoid all the gouges and potholes on the battlefield. Ash just had time to see a logo consisting of a green L on a blue Poké-ball symbol emblazoned on the side door before it slid open.

A short elderly man with long white hair and a huge white beard, dressed in a red-and-blue jersey, green shorts and a purple baseball cap hopped out of the vehicle as the rotors slowed to a stop. 'Well, well, Mr. Ketchum, I must say, if this is the kind of training you do, I'm surprised you haven't won the League already!' he commented, looking at the destroyed battlefield.

'Mr. Goodshow!' exclaimed all the Pokémon trainers.

'Wh-what are you doing here?' stuttered Hilbert, obviously blown away at the sight of the Pokémon League chairman.

'Who do you think owns this boat in the first place, m'boy?' Mr. Goodshow chuckled. 'Actually, that, and Samuel here asked me for a favor. He asked me to find a certain someone and bring her here to the Spirit of Pokémon.'

'Her? Who's "her"?' asked Brock.

At that moment, another person climbed out of the helicopter, a brunette someone wearing a violet skirt, a pink blouse, and a very happy expression.

'Mom? Why are you here?' cried Ash.

'Mrs. Ketchum?' exclaimed all of Ash's companions.

'MOM?' echoed everyone else (excluding the professors).

'Ash, I don't know why Professor Oak decided to have the party here, but I must admit he chose a beautiful location!' Delia Ketchum exclaimed, looking at the view from the ship's deck. 'And you've brought so many of your friends here with you!'

'Party? What party?' uttered Ash in confusion.

Delia looked startled at that. 'Ash dear, I think you've been travelling far too long if you've forgotten what day it is today. Mimey dear?' She called back into the helicopter.

A pink and white humanoid Pokémon with red spots on its cheeks and belly, thin arms and legs, black elfin shoes, pointed hair, and large, flat hands jumped out of the helicopter as well with a huge smile. Its eyes glowed blue with psychic energy, and to the astonishment of everyone, a huge cake frosted with yellow icing floated out, with 15 candles set on it.

It took a few seconds for it to sink in.

'_IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY?!_' every single one of Ash's companions yelled at him. Everyone else just stared at him in shock.

'Okay, I get you forgetting your own birthday, but how did none of you know?' Iris exclaimed, looking at the rest of them.

'He never told any of us!' Misty said in indignation. 'I've known him for almost 5 years and he never once told me his birthday!'

'It…it…never came up in conversation!' Ash stammered, embarrassed. 'I was so busy training that I never had a chance to celebrate it!'

'You mean you never celebrated your own birthday in all these 5 years of travelling?' Delia exclaimed. 'If I'd known this is how you would be after going on your journey, I'd never have let you leave Pallet Town!'

Ash reflexively swallowed at that statement, but Delia continued on, 'Oh well, no time like the present to start celebrating! Brock, will you help Mimey set up and start cooking? I've got everything we need in there.'

'No problem, Mrs. Ketchum!' Brock said.

'Let me give you a hand, Brock,' Cilan said, stepping forward. 'As a former waiter and restaurant owner, making dinner, especially a birthday of one my greatest friends, will be something to be remembered for the ages!'

'Great!' Delia smiled. 'Mimey!'

'_Mr. Mime_!' Mimey saluted in response, and its psychic powers started bringing out all manners of food items, folding tables and chairs and portable stoves. As Brock and Cilan stepped forward to begin cooking, Delia turned to the rest, including Ash's ex-opponents.

'Well, I'm glad Ash is making so many new friends; he makes them everywhere he goes! I hope you will all stay for the celebration…' she blinked when she laid eyes on Leaf. 'Wait…I recognize you…you're Leaf Woodward, Ash and Gary's childhood friend?'

Leaf smiled wanly. 'H-hi, Mrs. Ketchum..,!' Her voice choked when Delia gave her a huge hug.

'Oh my, I haven't seen you since you left Pallet Town on your journey! Tell me, how have you been? Have you been staying in contact with Ash?' Delia continued chattering as she led Leaf away.

Ethan, Lyra and Khoury exchanged looks. 'Well, if it's free dinner, who am I to refuse?' Ethan laughed.

His two friends laughed along with him. 'Ethan, you never change!' Lyra smiled.

Lucas sidled up to Dawn. 'Er…exactly how good is Ash's mom's cooking?'

'I actually don't know…' Dawn admitted, 'but I know how good Brock's cooking is, so I guarantee you'll enjoy tonight!'

'Well, I have,' May said, smiling, 'And I assure you that once you try it, you'll never want to leave!'

As everyone else chatted amongst themselves, Ash sidled up to Professor Oak. 'Professor, you didn't tell Mom about what happened today?'

'I didn't think she should worry,' Professor Oak whispered back, 'No one should have to know their child almost died on their birthday.'

'Indeed, Mr. Ketchum,' Mr. Goodshow agreed, 'besides, with everything that has happened, including allowing my ship to get stolen to provide the arena for it all, having a party here is really the least I can do.'

* * *

><p>As nightfall finally came, Delia, Cilan and Brock had the deck smelling like a barbeque banquet. Goodshow was talking animatedly with the professors, as the Pokémon trainers enjoyed their dinner.<p>

However, one trainer in particular was standing at one end of the deck, staring up at the stars with his partner nibbling on a dish of Pokémon food at his side.

'You know, just a few hours ago, you were in that same position, and I asked, "Penny for your thoughts?",' Ash turned to see the ex-Checkmate Five, Leaf in front, 'Mind if I make another payment?'

'I gotta say, Ash,' Ethan declared, his mouth full of steak, 'Your mom and your friends sure make one great meal.'

'Indeed,' agreed Cheren, 'what is that, your fifth plate so far?'

As Ethan glared at Cheren, Brendan and Leaf stepped forward. 'Ash, I think I speak for all of us that we're all sorry for what happened,' Brendan said sorrowfully, 'We put you and your friends in so much danger…'

'…And I think I speak for all of my friends that none of us hold you to that,' Ash answered without a beat. Pikachu squeaked in agreement.

'Well then, I thank you for rescuing us,' Lucas said. 'If you hadn't come to save your friends, I don't know what would've happened.'

Ash gave a wan smile. 'You're my friends too, you know. You know my friends; that's enough for me.'

Leaf smiled. 'Haven't you had much to eat?' she asked. 'I haven't seen you take a bite all evening, and from what Brock tells me, that's not normal.' When Ash opened his mouth to answer, she interrupted him, 'And if you start going on about how we should cut all ties with you, I'll sic Gyarados on you.'

'It's not that,' Ash said, a smile starting to cross his face, 'I was just thinking about all the friends I've made on my journey…and now all the friends I've made in just one day…'

He turned behind him to observe the scene behind him: Brock and Cilan, talking and sharing cooking recipes with each other, Max, Hilbert, Khoury and Tracey were all having an intense discussion about Pokémon care, in particular about Hilbert's Braviary, May and Dawn were sharing their latest contest experiences in Johto and Hoenn respectively, and Misty, Bianca, Lyra and Iris were fawning over Hilda's tiny Joltik, staring cutely at them from Hilda's palm, while Dawn's ever-present Piplup chattered angrily at the oblivious Psyduck.

'…Let's just say I've got a lot more than being alive to be thankful for today,' Ash finished his thought, tiliting his gaze to the stars up above.

'I can see that,' Ethan commented, 'but you'd better also be thankful that I was under mind control, or I would've kicked your butt when we first battled.'

'Really?' replied Ash, turning back, 'even after Donphan knocked Typhlosion into the pool?'

'Come on, Ethan, you couldn't beat him on your best day,' Lucas interjected, 'With a clear mind, I would've flattened both of you in a heartbeat.'

'Please,' snorted Cheren, 'neither of you could hope to stand up to my tactics; my team could've taken you in their sleep.'

'Sure, you with the mid-journey Pokémon,' Brendan retorted. 'Wasn't there a reason why I was chosen to be the King?'

'Boys, boys, settle down,' Leaf said, smirking, 'I think it's obvious who'd be the winner around here: the girl with almost 5 years of experience.'

'Put up or shut up, Leaf,' Ash said, Pikachu leaping onto his arm, 'I haven't just been twiddling my thumbs all the time we were apart, in case you didn't notice.'

'Get in line, Ketchum,' Ethan said, Poké-ball already in hand. Brendan, Lucas, and Cheren all looked similarly enthused at the thought of a battle.

The 6 trainers stared at one another for a long moment, which was suddenly broken by a loud and obnoxious growl. Ash went red. 'Uh, maybe we could hold that off until I get something to eat?' All of them shared a laugh.

* * *

><p>'Well, Ash, congratulations on your 15th birthday!' Delia beamed as her son sat down in front of the massive cake, all 15 candles burning brightly on it. Pikachu, perched on his head, smiled admiringly at the yellow cake made exactly in its likeness.<p>

As his friends chorused merrily in the famous birthday song, Ash closed his eyes to think about his wish. Wish for luck in the upcoming Unova League? That would be nice, but with everything that had happened today, he really only had one thing he could wish for…

'Okay, Ash, make a wish and blow them out,' Delia smiled as the song ended.

'I only have one wish,' Ash said, taking a deep breath. With a quick blow, he extinguished all the candles in one puff. 'To have the friendship I have with everyone here last forever, no matter what comes our way.'

Iris groaned. 'Ash, you're such a kid! Don't you know that if you tell someone your birthday wish it won't come true?'

Ash looked at everyone present, from his first travelling companions, all the way to his latest, from his mother, to his mentors, from his old friends, to his new rivals, and finally, to his partner, as they all beamed back at him at his words. Then he looked back at Iris with a smile.

'I don't know, Iris, it looks pretty true to me.'

* * *

><p>Wow, my first story on FF completed! Like I said, I got this up before the year ended, so thank you everyone for joining me for the ride! A belated Merry Christmas to all my readers, and an early Happy New Year!<p>

A shout-out to every single one of you who reviewed this story, in particular **RandomificationChaotic, Pokemon Connoisseur Lucario, JLgods01, **and everyone else with a name up on the Review, Alert, or Favorite Lists. Thanks so much for your feedback and staying with this story to the finish. All the best!

P.S. Anyone who thinks the birthday idea is a little cliche, in my defence, that was my ending idea from the get-go, and since I've never seen Ash have an actual birthday during his entire adventure, I just thought I'd give him one.


End file.
